Journal (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms

Journal

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The official record of the proceedings of the House and Senate. The Journal records the actions taken in each chamber, such as motions agreed to and votes taken, but unlike the Congressional Record, it does not include the substantially verbatim report of speeches, debates, statements and the like. The Constitution requires each house to maintain a journal (Article I, Section 5); the House has one and the Senate has four. Senate rules stipulate that different Journals be kept for legislative and executive (treaties and nominations) proceedings, as well as for confidential legislative proceedings and proceedings when the Senate sits as a court for impeachment of high Federal officials.

Senate Rule IV, Commencement of Daily Sessions provides in part:

(c) The proceedings of the Senate shall be briefly and accurately stated on the Journal. Messages of the President in full; titles of bills and resolutions, and such parts as shall be affected by proposed amendments; every vote, and a brief statement of the contents of each petition, memorial, or paper presented to the Senate, shall be entered.

(d) The legislative, the executive, the confidential legislative proceedings, and the proceedings when sitting as a Court of Impeachment, shall each be recorded in a separate book.

Also see: Executive Session; Impeachment; Chapter 9. Congressional Documents: Overview, Legislation, and Laws, and Chapter 10. Congressional Documents: Committee, Chamber, Party, and Administrative Publications, in Congressional Deskbook.

More

• Manual / Senate Manual / House Rules and Manual (CongressionalGlossary.com)
• Rules (CongressionalGlossary.com)
• Journal of the House of Representatives – Govinfo.gov
• House Journal: First Forty-three Sessions of Congress – Library of Congress
• Senate Journal: First Forty-three Sessions of Congress – Library of Congress
• Journal of the Senate of the United States – Govinfo.gov
• Senate Executive Journal: First Forty-three Sessions of Congress – Library of Congress
• “Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure,” CRS Report RL31980 (20-page PDF)
• “Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice,” CRS Report 98-186 (40-page PDF)
• “The Role of the Senate in Judicial Impeachment Proceedings: Procedure, Practice, and Data,” CRS Report R41172 (36-page PDF)
• “Impeachment Grounds: A Collection of Selected Materials,” CRS Report 98-882 (41-page PDF)
• “The House Calendar, Journal, and Record,” Parliamentary Boot Camp (2-page PDF)
• “Government Printing, Publications, and Digital Information Management: Issues and Challenges,” CRS Report R45014 (24-page PDF)
• “Congress’s Contempt Power and the Enforcement of Congressional Subpoenas: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure,” CRS Report RL34097 (100-page PDF)
• “Congressional News Media and the House and Senate Press Galleries,” CRS Report R44816 (23-page PDF)
• “Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits,” CRS Report RL34631 (31-page PDF)
• “From Slip Law to United States Code: A Guide to Federal Statutes for Congressional Staff,” CRS Report R45190 (17-page PDF)

Courses

• Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop
• Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments
• Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing
• Custom 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