Quite the time warp in the House, where tonight is tomorrow and time changes direction.

#HRules

Fighting the Filibuster | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives Wednesday, January 3, 1810, seemed like a day that would never end in the House of Representatives.The marathon 19-hour session began at 11 a.m., as the House resumed debate on a delicate subject—dipl...

Ah, but I called on Speaker Johnson to bring BACK the filibuster – and, if he went back far enough, eventually he would find it (not that that would solve any immediate problem in the House, but then it's not helping solve anything in the Senate, either).

#HRules
history.house.gov/Blog/2020/Ju...

One would think someone in his 18th year in the House, and at the end of his first Congress as speaker, would know better. 🤷🏻‍♂️

David B Henderson
#HRules

One feature of suspension is it allows a newbie minority staffer in the office of a member who's not (even) on the committee to write a one-pager one morning that hours later yada yada-yada defeats a bill.*

(* – if temporarily)

#HRules

Best. Adjournment gavel. Ever.

#HRules

GPO Style Manual, 2016, page 396 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016.pdf#page=396 In gross or en gros When a bill comes to final action, in the presentment of amendments col- lectively for a vote, either the term “in gross’’ or the French equivalent “en gros’’ may be used.

Is it "in gross" or "en gros"? 🤔 Open your #GPO Style Manual to page 382...

#HRules #SRules
www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...

Department of Defense --> Defense Supplemental
Department of War --> War Supplemental?

Would make for an interesting amendment to the short title.

#HRules #SRules

Screenshots of HR 503 and HR 6091. Screen-readable bill texts can be found at the links in the post.

Bills in this Congress to amend 42 USC 1983:
HR 503/S 122, to codify qualified immunity for officials with law enforcement or incarceration authority www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
HR 6091/S 3187, to apply 1983 to federal officials www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...

#HRules #SRules #Bivens

YEAR Members in House Avg Members per committee 1945 435 20.0 1951 435 25.8 1961 435 29.4 1971 435 31.8 1981 435 34.2 1991 435 38.7 1995 435 40.5 2021 435 41.0

Since 1945:
> The size of the House has stayed the same.
> The average size of a House committee has >doubled.

#HRules

In the House, can Trump's words be taken down, or would the demand have had to have been made during his speech?

#HRules

#SRules #HRules #SCOTUS

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Deschler's Precedents - Section 38.4 The Government Printing Office having erroneously printed on a roll call the name of a deceased Member of the House, the permanent Record was corrected, by unanimous consent, to delete the name. On June 26, 1969,(1) Mr. H. R. Gross, of Iowa, initiated the following exchange with the Speaker: MR. GROSS: Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 91 there is a printing error. The Government Printing Office has unfortunately listed the name of our late colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr. Bates, among those Members responding on the rollcall. I therefore ask unanimous consent that the permanent Record be corrected to delete his name. Agreement to this request would in no way change the result of the vote as announced. THE SPEAKER: (2) Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Iowa? There was no objection. The roll call vote to which Mr. Gross referred (roll call No. 91), was on the passage of a resolution

I say, so what if the Record says Rep Byron Donalds (R-FL) voted in the House when he was actually in California to do Bill Maher's show. After all, the Record once said Rep William Henry Bates (R-MA) voted in the House when he was actually dead.🪦

#HRules

One of my very best favorites.

#HRules

House Practice Manual (2024) § 24. In General; Vote Changes [snip] When a vote is being taken by electronic device, a Member is permitted to change such vote by reinserting the voting card in a voting station during the first 10 minutes of a 15-minute vote or by the Clerk’s announcement in the well after the Chair has asked for changes. 114-2, May 19, 2016, p 6772. During five-minute votes or two-minute votes, a Member is permitted to change a vote at the voting stations at any time. Following the expiration of the minimum time for voting by electronic device and the closing of electronic voting stations, but before the Speaker’s announcement of the result, any Member may either change a vote or cast an initial vote in the well by use of a ballot card.

TODAY'S QUESTION: Why do House Republicans – vociferous proponents of the so-called "SAVE [America] Act" – vote by electronic device when they could vote by the much more secure method of paper ballots?* 🤯

(* – aka, "ballot card")
#HRules

Clips from Hinds' Precedents of the House, re tie votes, specifically re tie votes on appeals of rulings of the chair. From Feb 1, 1840, that a tie vote would sustain the ruling (section 4569); from March 4, 1898, that a tie vote apparently would not sustain the ruling (section 5239).

Clips from Hinds' Precedents of the House, re tie votes, specifically re tie votes on appeals of rulings of the chair. From May 31, 1790, that a tie vote apparently would sustain the ruling (section 6956); from May 12, 1852, that a tie vote would not sustain the ruling (section 6957). The chair said, "The burden of getting a majority is with the affirmative."

In the Senate, a tie vote loses.
In the House, a tie vote also loses, UNLESS it's on an appeal of a ruling of the chair, in which case the precedents say it wins… sometimes. 🤷🏻‍♂️

NB: When a ruling is appealed, the vote is on this question – "Shall the decision of the Chair stand?"

#HRules #SRules

I am not a fan of such half-acronym short titles.

#HRules

And so, doing the math... Any members pushing to enact the so-called "SAVE Act" are frankly trying to make it harder for the people to vote FOR Congress than it is for them to vote IN Congress. 😳

#HRules
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NEW RULE: No one with a tie is allowed to stand there during a vote.

(at least he wasn't wearing a dark shirt with a white tie)

#HRules

I asked because I'd started to write a post that Dems should work on discharging a res to apply this requirement to any resolution/J Res that rejects a presidential declaration, but then... 🤔

#HRules
bsky.app/profile/ring...

CRS - Amendments Between the Houses The option of agreeing to a motion to concur with an amendment is not always available in the Senate, because there is a limit to the number of times the chambers can propose amendments as they shuttle the bill back and forth. Under House and Senate precedents, the amendment of the chamber that acts second on the bill is the text that is subject to amendment in two degrees. Thus, if the Senate passes a bill, and the House amends it, there can be one further Senate amendment and then one further House amendment to that. Another way to think of this is that there can be a total of four versions: (1) the original bill, (2) the first amendment of the other chamber, (3) the amendment of the chamber that originated the bill, and (4) the second amendment of the other chamber. This limitation on the number of rounds of amendment exchange can be waived in the Senate by unanimous consent, and it does not apply if the House has already extended the number of rounds past the four allowed under chamber precedents. Thus, if the Senate receives a House amendment in the second degree (for example, a House amendment to a Senate amendment to a House amendment to a Senate-passed bill), then a motion to concur in the House amendment with an amendment would be in order only by unanimous consent.

Then there's this, but it takes even more planning.

#SRules #HRules
#amendments

Screenshot of caption text as posted at the website of the House Clerk. The most recent is in the first line, then as you read down, that's older. Speaker TIME PASSED, AND THE MOTION TO RECONSIDER IS LAID ON THE TABLE. WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE TITLE IS AMENDED. Mr Bacon (R-NE) 2:18:50 PM DISPENSE WITH THE READING OF THE AMENDMENT. Clerk 2:18:46 PM AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE TO HR 7194 OFFERED BY MR. BACON OF NEBRASKA. STRIKE ALL AFTER THE ENACTING CLAUSE AND INSERT THE FOLLOWING. Unidentified Speaker 2:18:39 PM AMENDMENT. I ASK THE LET HER START READING. START READING THE AMENDMENT. Speaker pro tem 18:36 PM THE CLERK WILL REPORT THE TITLE OF THE BILL. THE CLERK WILL REPORT THE TITLE OF THE AMENDMENT. Mr Bacon (R-NE) 2:18:33 PM MR. SPEAKER, I HAVE AN AMENDMENT AT THE DESK. Speaker pro tem 2:18:30 PM For what PURPOSE DOES THE GENTLEMAN FROM NEBRASKA SEEK RECOGNITION? Clerk 2:18:16 PM H.R. 7194, A BILL TO AUTHORIZE THE PRESIDENT TO AWARD THE MEDAL OF HONOR TO CORY MILLS N DOCKERY FOR ACTS OF VALOR AS A MEMBER OF THE ARMY WHILE SERVING IN AFGHANISTAN. Speaker pro tem 2:18:07 PM THE CLERK WILL REPORT THE TITLE OF THE BILL. Unidentified Speaker 2:17:52 PM MR. SPEAKER, I ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT THE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES BE DISCHARGED FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF THE BILL, H.R. 7194, AND ASK FOR ITS IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATION IN THE HOUSE.

It wasn't pretty, but they got there.

#HRules

Ah, like old times.

#HRules

A tweet at the other site, by Sarah Ferris @sarahnferris, CNN: Notable: R leaders will tie the Clinton contempt bills (very popular with conservatives, including Massie) to funding bill in the rule to try to lock down votes, per sources There will be 1 vote to spare after new Texas Dem Menefee is sworn in. Right now, votes are not there. 3:26 PM · Feb 2, 2026 4,744 Views

This is (if you'll pardon my French) a "Shtup or walk" rule.

#HRules

We need more that that in our House, though maybe the wording should be changed to "should know very well".

#HRules

Rep McClain being interviewed on News Nation re her husband's purchase of XAI stock, captioned with her quote, "And quite frankly, I think that's a very fair question to ask, especially with all of the insider trading that happens up here."

Rep. McClain (R-MI): "... especially with all of the insider trading that happens up here."

Tell us more.

#HRules

"okay, every vacancy on the house floor reduces the number of representatives necessary for a quorum by one vote."

First one, yes. But then it's for every 2 vacancies, it reduces the number for a quorum by one vote.

#HRules

The design of the House voting terminals doesn't help. They should spread the buttons out. Or at least put the "Open" light between Yea and Nay.

#HRules

How long does it take to elect a replacement to a vacant US House seat? It depends.
> Marjorie Greene's (R-GA) replacement could be elected just 5 weeks from now (though if a runoff is needed, which seems likely (🤷🏻‍♂️), it could take 9).
> Otoh, in Texas it's taking 47 weeks and 3 days.

#HRules

(* – those statements are directly from the CRS Report, but shortened for length)

Okay, yes, it's not as if not knowing the meaning of "session" (or "recess") in any given context will lose you a game. That is, the stakes are low. Just...

#HRules #SRules
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FUN FACT: If the previous question is defeated on a resolution reported by the Rules Committee, the res is then subject to a motion to table.*

(* – but I've not confirmed this applies to a res from Rules that is a "special rule" – ie, a rule for consideration of another matter) #HRules

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