From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms
Dilatory Motion or Tactic
A motion made for the purpose of killing time and preventing action on a bill or amendment by a chamber or a committee. House rules outlaw dilatory motions, but enforcement is largely within the discretion of the Speaker or chairman of the Committee of the Whole. The Senate does not have a rule banning dilatory motions, except under cloture. The tactics include, among others, demanding quorum calls and votes at every opportunity.
Also see Cloture; Filibuster; Point of Order; § 6.230, Cloture in Senate Floor Proceedings, in Congressional Deskbook.
More
- House Rule XVI – Motions And Amendments
- Dilatory motions and tactics – Wikipedia
- “House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies,” CRS Report R41083 (220-page PDF
) - “Filibusters and Cloture in the Senate,” CRS Report RL30360 (29-page PDF)
- “Voting and Quorum Procedures in the House of Representatives,” CRS Report 98-988 (24-page PDF)
- “How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction,” CRS Report RS20067 (10-page PDF)
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