Official Objectors / Passed Over Without Prejudice (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms

Official Objectors / Passed Over Without Prejudice

Pass Over Without Prejudice: A request in the House to defer action on a measure called up from the Private Calendar without affecting the measure’s position on the calendar.

Each party often appoints official objectors to review bills on the Private Calendar. If an official objector has a concern about a bill, there can be an objection to the bill’s consideration. More often, however, the bill is “passed over, without prejudice.” It gives sponsors a chance to address concerns before the bill comes up under the next call of the Private Calendar.

By tradition, there are six official objectors, three on the majority side and three on the minority side, who make a careful study of each bill or resolution on the Private Calendar. The official objectors’ role is to object to a measure that does not conform to the requirements for that calendar and prevent the passage without debate of nonmeritorious bills and resolutions. Alternative procedures reserved for public bills are not applicable to reported private bills.

Also see

• Private Calendar
• § 6.80 House Floor: Methods of Consideration, in Congressional Deskbook
• Chapter 4.E. Privileged Business in Congressional Procedure

More

• Deschler’s Precedents, Volume 7, Chapter 22. Calendars, §§ 8.6 and 8.7
• Deschler’s Precedents, Volume 1, Chapter 3. Party Organization, C. Party Committees and Informal Groups, § 15 Official Objectors’ Committees
• “How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction,” CRS Report RS20067 (10-page PDF)
• “House Floor Basics,” Parliamentary Boot Camp (4-page PDF)
• “Procedural Analysis of Private Laws Enacted: 1986-2015,” CRS Report RS22450 (13-page PDF)
• “Private Bills: Procedure in the House,” CRS Report R45287 (6-page PDF)

Courses

• Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop
• Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments
• Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing
• Custom, On-Site Training
• Drafting Effective Federal Legislation and Amendments in a Nutshell, Audio Course on CD
• Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals of Lawmaking Series, a Nine-Course series on CD

Publications

Legislative Drafter’s Deskbook: A Practical Guide

Pocket Constitution

Citizen’s Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials: A Guide for Citizen Lobbyists and Grassroots Advocates

Congressional Procedure

CongressionalGlossary.com, from TheCapitol.Net