48

Books.

Public ments.

Stationery.

Library.

Not to be

docu

em

ployed without

leave.

which

leave.

have

CLERKS OF COMMITTEES-COMMERCE, COMMITTEE ON.

He contracts for and furnishes to members all books voted to them by the House, and keeps the accounts of the members for the same.

He distributes to members, governors, State legislatures, &c., all public documents (other than extra numbers) required by law, rule, or resolution to be distributed.

He keeps the stationery purchased for the use of the House, and furnishes the postmaster with such as he may from time to time call for for distribution to the members. He keeps the library of the House, in which are kept copies of all documents printed by order of either house.

CLERKS OF COMMITTEES.

"No committee shall be permitted to employ a clerk at the 'public expense without first obtaining leave of the House for Committees that purpose."-Rule 73. [Such leave is usually granted to a portion of the committees, for a part or the whole of the session, as they may deem the service necessary; and three of the committees have permanent clerks, viz., of Claims, by resolution of February 18, 1843, of Ways and Means, by resolution of February 18, 1856, and on Public Lands, by resolution of May 27, 1862.]

COMMERCE, COMMITTEE ON.

There shall be appointed, at the commencement of each Congress, a Committee on Commerce, to consist of nine members. Rule 74.

"It shall be the duty of the Committee on Commerce to take into consideration all such petitions and matters or things touching the commerce of the United States as shall be presented, or shall or may come into question, and be referred to them by the House, and to report, from time to time, their opinion thereon."-Rule 79.

[This committee was originally a Committee on Commerce and Manufactures. On the 8th December, 1819, a separate Committee on Manufactures was constituted, and the duties of the original Committee on Commerce and Manufactures have been confirmed, as above, by leaving out the words

"and Manufactures." There are no duties assigned in the rules to the Committee on Manufactures.]

COMMIT, MOTION TO.

received.

reference

to

"When a question is under debate, no motion shall be when it may be received but to adjourn, 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 shall have Precedence with precedence in the order in which they are arranged; and no other motions. motion to commit, or to postpone indefinitely, being decided, Not to be reshall be again allowed on the same day, and at the same and stage of bill. stage of the bill or proposition."-Rule 42. [When any one of the foregoing motions is received, the practice is not to receive one of lower dignity until the former is disposed of.]

peated same day

committees

are

"When a resolution shall be offered, or a motion made to Where different refer any subject, and different committees shall be proposed, 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.

A motion to commit may be amended by the addition of May be amended. instructions. Also by striking out one committee and insert

ing another.-Journals passim.

instruc

tions not divisi

A division of the question is not in order on a motion to with commit with instructions, or on the different branches of ble. instructions.-Journals, 1, 17, p. 507; 1, 31, pp. 1395, 1397; 1, 32, p. 611.

66

bill when ready for commitment.

Upon the second reading of a bill, the Speaker shall state a it as ready for commitment."-Rule 118.

question upon

After the previous question is ordered, if no motion to Effect of previous postpone is pending, the House is brought first "to a direct motion to comvote on the motion to commit, if such motion shall have been made."-Rule 132.

mit.

"Motions and reports may be committed at the pleasure Motions and reof the House."-Rule 47.

ports may be committed.

COMMITTEES.

com

mittees to be ap

Twenty-seven standing committees shall be appointed at Standing the commencement of each Congress, viz.: Of Elections, of pointed at the

of each Congress.

commencement Ways and Means, of Claims, on Commerce, on the Public Lands, on the Post Office and Post Roads, for the District of Columbia, on the Judiciary, on Revolutionary Claims, on Public Expenditures, on Private Land Claims, on Manufactures, on Agriculture, on Indian Affairs, on Military Affairs, on the Militia, on Naval Affairs, on Foreign Affairs, on the Territories, on Revolutionary Pensions, on Invalid Pensions, on Roads and Canals-to consist of nine members each—on Patents, on Public Buildings and Grounds, of Revisal and Unfinished Business, of Accounts, on Mileage-to consist of five members each.-Rule 74.

Joint committees

to be appointed

ment of each session.

There shall be a joint committee on Enrolled Bills, to at the commence- consist of two members of each House (Joint Rule 7); there shall be a joint committee on the Library of Congress, to consist of three members of each house (Joint Rule 20); there shall be a joint committee on the Public Printing, to consist of three members of each house (Stat. at Large, Vol. X, p. 34). [The rules do not designate for what period the joint committees shall be appointed, but the practice hitherto has been for the Speaker to appoint them at the commencement of each session.]

Standing committees to be ap

There shall be appointed, at the commencement of the pointed at the first session in each Congress, six additional standing comof each Congress. mittees, whose duties shall continue until the first session of

commencement

Duties of committees.

the ensuing Congress, viz.: On Expenditures in the Department of State, on Expenditures in the Treasury Department, on Expenditures in the War Department, on Expenditures in the Post Office Department, on Expenditures in the Navy Department, on Expenditures in the Interior Department, on Expenditures on the Public Buildings, to consist of five members each.-Rule 102.

the For the duties of the several committees, see under their respective names.

Committees, how "All committees shall be appointed by the Speaker, unless

appointed.

otherwise specially directed by the House, in which case they shall be appointed by ballot; and if upon such ballot the number required shall not be elected by a majority of the votes given, the House shall proceed to a second ballot, in which a plurality of votes shall prevail; and in case a greater

number than is required to compose or complete a committee shall have an equal number of votes, the House shall proceed to a further ballot or ballots."-Rule 67. [The latter mode of appointing committees is, of late years, never resorted to; but the practice has been for the House to adopt an order "that the Speaker be authorized to appoint the regular standing committees." And after adopting such order, it is usual for the House to adjourn over for two or three days to enable him to make the appointments.]

be chairman of a

"The first named member of any committee shall be the who shall chairman; and in his absence, or being excused by the committee. House, the next named member, and so on, as often as the case shall happen, unless the committee, by a majority of their number, elect a chairman.”—Rule 68.

cused from serv

Any member may excuse himself from serving on any who may be excommittee at the time of his appointment, if he is then a ing on a commitmember of two other committees."-Rule 69. [And under

the practice, it is sufficient for him to offer such an excuse at any subsequent period of the session.]

tee.

a meeting of a

"It shall be the duty of a committee to meet on the call who shall call of any two of its members, if the chairman be absent, or de- committee. cline to appoint such meeting."-Rule 70.

not sit while

without leave.

"No committee shall sit during the sitting of the House Committees shall without special leave."-Rule 72. And "so soon as the House is sitting, House sits, and a committee is notified of it, the chairman is in duty bound to rise instantly, and the members to attend the service of the House."-Manual, p. 66. [But upon the suggestion to the House by a member of a committee that it is important to the despatch of public business that they should have such leave, it is usually granted, especially near the close of a session.]

ting during re

"Committees may be appointed to sit during a recess by Committees sitadjournment, but not by prorogation. Neither house can cess. continue any portion of itself in any parliamentary function beyond the end of the session without the consent of the other two branches. When done, it is by a bill constituting them commissioners for the particular purpose."-Manual, p. 132. [This has been construed (and, in view of the distinction which exists between a "session" of Parliament and of Con

Clerks of committees.

Precedence of dif ferent motions to refer.

gress, very properly so) not to restrain a committee of the House, with the leave of the House, from sitting during the recess between a first and second session of Congress.]—(See Journal, 1, 32, p. 1119.)

“No committee shall be permitted to employ a clerk at the public expense without first obtaining leave of the House for that purpose."-Rule 73. [Such leave is usually granted to a portion of the committees for a part or the whole of the session, as they may deem the service necessary; and two of the committees have permanent clerks, viz., of Claims, by resolution of February 18, 1843, and of Ways and Means, by resolution of February 18, 1856.]

"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. [But where more than one standing committee is proposed, the last one proposed is first voted upon, as an amendment to strike out and insert.] "When a question is under debate, no motion shall be remotion to coerceived but to adjourn, to lie on the table, for the previous others over it. question, to postpone to a day certain, to commit or amend, to postpone indefinitely; which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are arranged; and no Motion to com- motion to postpone to a day certain, to commit, or to postpeated at same pone indefinitely, being decided, shall be again allowed on the same day, and at the same stage of the bill or proposition."-Rule 42.

Precedence

of

mit over motions, and of

mit not to be re

stage on same day.

A bill, when ready for com. mitment.

Previous

ques

tion brings the

"Upon the second reading of a bill, the Speaker shall state it as ready for commitment."-Rule 118.

"After the previous question is ordered, if no motion to House to vote postpone is pending, the House is first brought to a direct vote to commit. on the motion to commit, if such motion shall have been

first on motion

made."-Rule 132.

Committee "A committee meet when and where they please, if the

only act

can

when

met together.

House has not ordered time and place for them; but they can only act when together, and not by separate consultation and consent, nothing being the report of a committee but