From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms
Calendar Wednesday
On Wednesdays in the House, committees may be called in the order in which they appear in Rule X of the House, for the purpose of bringing up any of their bills for either the House or the Union Calendar, except bills that are privileged. General debate is limited to two hours. Bills called up from the Union Calendar are considered in the Committee of the Whole. It is primarily a method for circumventing the Rules Committee’s refusal to report special rules granting privilege to those measures. Calendar Wednesday is not observed during the last two weeks of a session and may be dispensed with at other times by a two-thirds vote. This procedure is rarely used and is routinely dispensed with by unanimous consent.
Also see Regular Meeting Day; Legislative Day; Union Calendar; § 6.70 House Floor: Scheduling and Privilege, in Congressional Deskbook.
More
- House Rule X – Organization of Committees
- House Rule XI – Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business
- “Special Rules and Waivers of House Rules,” CRS Report 98-433 (5-page PDF
) - “Privileged Business on the House Floor,” CRS Report 98-315 (5-page PDF)
- “How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction,” CRS Report RS20067 (10-page PDF)
- “House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies,” CRS Report R41083 (220-page PDF)
- “How Legislation Is Brought to the House Floor: A Snapshot of Parliamentary Practice in the 114th Congress (2015-2016),” CRS Report R44734 (15-page PDF)
- “Days Reserved for Special Business in the House,” CRS Report 98-142 (5-page PDF)
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