From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms
Leave to Sit
Permission for a committee to meet during the proceedings of the parent chamber.
Under Senate Rule XXVI committees are forbidden to meet after the first two hours of the Senate’s daily session, and in no case after 2 pm while the Senate is in session, without special permission from the majority and minority leaders.
In the House, a committee may not sit during a joint session of the House and Senate or during a recess when a joint meeting of the House and Senate is in progress. House Rule XI – Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business
Also see Chapter Six, Legislating in Congress: Legislative Process, in Congressional Deskbook.
More
- “A Retrospective of House Rules Changes Since the 104th Congress,” CRS Report RL33610 (60-page PDF
) - “Types of Committee Hearings,” CRS Report 98-317 (6-page PDF)
- “House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies,” CRS Report R41083 (220-page PDF)
- “Guide to Committee Activity Reports: Purpose, Rules, and Contents,” CRS Report R45104 (24-page PDF)
- “House Committee Chairs: Considerations, Decisions, and Actions as One Congress Ends and a New Congress Begins,” CRS Report RL34679 (35-page PDF)
- “The Senate ‘Two-Hour Rule’ Governing Committee Meeting Times,” CRS Report R45170 (21-page PDF)
- “A Survey of House and Senate Committee Rules on Subpoenas,” CRS Report R44247 (31-page PDF)
- “Senate Committee Hearings: Scheduling and Notification,” CRS Report 98-337 (4-page PDF)
- “Senate Committee Hearings: Witness Testimony,” CRS Report 98-392 (4-page PDF)
- “Senate Committee Rules in the 115th Congress: Key Provisions,” CRS Report R44901 (36-page PDF)
- “Senate Rules Affecting Committees,” CRS Report 98-311 (13-page PDF)
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