From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Ramseyer Rule / Cordon Rule A comparative section in contrasting typefaces must be included in committee reports. This comparative section shows the text of a statute, or a part thereof, that is proposed to be amended or repealed. This section is usually prepared by each … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Calendar Wednesday On Wednesdays in the House, committees may be called in the order in which they appear in Rule X of the House, for the purpose of bringing up any of their bills for either the House or the Union Calendar, except bills that … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Committee Amendment / Floor Amendment Committee Amendment: An amendment recommended by a committee in reporting a bill or other measure. When the House is meeting as the Committee of the Whole, a special rule often provides that committee amendments become part of the text of … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Manual / Senate Manual / House Rules and Manual Manual: The official handbook in each house prescribing in detail its organization, rules procedures and operations. The Senate Manual, prepared during the second session of each Congress by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, contains … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Question Question: Any matter on which the House or Senate is to vote, such as passage of a bill, adoption of an amendment, agreement to a motion, or an appeal. During a filibuster in the Senate, a senator may yield to another senator for a … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Strike / and Insert / from the Record / the Last Word / Expunge Strike and Insert: Amendment that replaces text in a measure or an amendment. Strike from the Record: Remarks made on the House floor may offend some member, who moves that the … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Original Bill A bill drafted by a committee and introduced by its chair when the committee reports the measure back to its chamber. It is not referred back to the committee after introduction. The Senate allows all committees to report original bills; the House generally … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Substitute / Substitute Amendment / Queen-of-the-Hill Rule Substitute: A motion, amendment or entire bill introduced in place of the pending legislative business. Passage of a substitute measure kills the original measure by supplanting it. The substitute also may be amended. Substitute Amendment: This type of … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Marking Up A Bill / Markup Going through the contents of a piece of legislation in committee or subcommittee to consider its provisions and proposed revisions to the language, and insert new sections and phraseology. If the bill is extensively amended, the committee’s version may … Read more
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 … Read more