From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms
Five-Minute Rule
photo credit: Moe_A debate-limiting rule of the House that is invoked when the House sits as the Committee of the Whole. Under the rule, a member offering an amendment is allowed to speak five minutes in its favor, and an opponent of the amendment is allowed to speak five minutes in opposition. Debate is then closed. Members may then make a motion to “strike the last word” or “strike the requisite number of words,” that is, offer a pro forma amendment to gain five minutes to speak on an amendment. At the end of five minutes, the pro forma amendment is considered withdrawn. Time under the five-minute rule cannot be reserved, and a member may not speak more than once on an amendment. In practice, amendments regularly are debated more than 10 minutes, with members gaining the floor by offering pro forma amendments or obtaining unanimous consent to speak longer than five minutes.
Five Minute Speech in Support of Kucinich’s Afghanistan Resolution
Five-Minute Speeches: On Mondays and Tuesdays the House convenes early to allow members to make five-minute speeches on any subject. No legislative business is conducted during this time, called morning hour.
Also see
- Committee of the Whole (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Hour Rule / One Hour Rule (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Morning Hour (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Strike the Last Word / Strike the Requisite Number of Words (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- Call of the Calendar (CongressionalGlossary.com)
- § 6.50 Committee Markup, § 6.112 House versus Committee of the Whole, § 6.130 House Floor: Voting, § 11.10 How to Follow Floor Proceedings in the House, in Congressional Deskbook
- Chapter 3.D. Hearings in Committees; Chapter 3.F. Amendment Procedure; in Congressional Procedure
Morning Hour Debate in the House – October 24, 2017
More
- House Rule XVIII, The Committee Of The Whole House On The State Of The Union.
- “Hearings in the House of Representatives: A Guide for Preparation and Procedure,” CRS Report RL30539 (34-page PDF
) - “Amendment Process in the Committee of the Whole,” CRS Report 98-439 (7-page PDF)
- “Special Rules and Options for Regulating the Amending Process,” CRS Report 98-612 (6-page PDF)
- “Special Order Speeches and Other Forms of Non-Legislative Debate in the House,” CRS Report RS21174 (7-page PDF)
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