From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms
Previous Question
A nondebatable House (or House committee) motion, which, when agreed to, cuts off further debate, prevents the offering of additional amendments, and brings the pending matter to an immediate vote.
A motion for the previous question, when carried, has the effect of cutting off all debate, preventing the offering of further amendments, and forcing a vote on the pending matter. If no debate has yet occurred, the proposal is limited to 40 minutes of discussion. In the House, the previous question is not permitted in the Committee of the Whole. The motion for the previous question is a debate-limiting device and is not in order in the Senate.
Previous Question on Dream Act
More
- Question (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Contempt of Congress / Resolution of Inquiry (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Chapter 1.C. Rules; Chapter 3.F. Amendment Procedure; in Congressional Procedure
- § 6.50 Committee Markup, § 6.80 House Floor: Methods of Consideration, § 6.100 Consideration of a Special Rule on the House Floor, in Congressional Deskbook“
- Commonly Used Motions and Requests in the House of Representatives,” CRS Report RL32207 (20-page PDF
) - “Questions of the Privileges of the House: An Analysis,” CRS Report R44005 (64-page PDF)
- “Conference Committee and Related Procedures: An Introduction,” CRS Report 96-708 (15-page PDF)
- “House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies,” CRS Report R41083 (220-page PDF)
- “Resolving Legislative Differences in the Congress: Conference Committees and Amendments Between the Houses,” CRS Report 98-696 (40-page PDF)
- “Introduction to the Legislative Process in the U.S. Congress,” CRS Report R42843 (18-page PDF)
- “Resolutions of Inquiry: An Analysis of Their Use in the House, 1947-2017,” CRS Report R40879 (86-page PDF)
- “Points of Order, Rulings, and Appeals in the House of Representatives,” CRS Report 98-307 (6-page PDF)
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