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Bills reported from Court of Claims.

Every bill shall have three read. ings.

Objection after first reading.

So in regard to bills reported from and to be referred to the Court of Claims.-See CLAIMS, COURT OF.

"Every bill shall receive three several readings in the House previous to its passage; and bills shall be dis patched in order as they were introduced, unless where the House shall direct otherwise; but no bill shall be twice read on the same day without special order of the House."-Rule 116. [The "special order " here referred to is generally assumed to have been given, for unless objection is made, immediately after the bill is read a first time, the Speaker announces "the second reading of the bill," and it thereupon receives its second reading.]

The first reading of a bill shall be for information, and if opposition be made to it, the question shall be: "Shall this bill be rejected?"—Rule 117. And this question is debatable.-Journal, 2, 32, p. 152. But "if no opposition

be made, or if the question to reject be negatived, the Second reading. bill shall go to its second reading without a question."

their title.

Rule 117.

Usually read by The three readings of a bill are usually by the title, the readings throughout usually taking place in Committee of the Whole; but where there is no commitment, it then takes place whenever it is proposed to put the bill on its passage. It is the undoubted right, however, of Right of a mem any member to have a bill read throughout at every stage of its progress through the House.-See READING OF PAPERS.]

ber to have read

throughout.

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Upon the second reading of the bill, the Speaker shall state it as ready for commitment or engrossment; and, if committted, then a question shall be, whether to a select or standing committee, or to a Committee of the Whole House; if no motion be made to commit, the ques tion shall be stated on its engrossment; and if it be not ordered to be engrossed on the day of its being reported, it shall be placed on the general file on the Speaker's table, to be taken up in order. But if the bill be ordered to be engrossed, the House shall appoint the day when it shall be read the third time."-Rule 118.

[The settled practice of the House upon the second reading of a bill, unless it be an APPROPRIATION BILL,

(which see,) is to consider it as open to debate,] when,

under the 42d Rule, it is in a condition for a motion to Commitment. lie on the table, for the previous question, to postpone

may be stricken

to a day certain, to commit or amend, to postpone inde- Amendment. finitely, which several motions take precedence in the order in which they are arranged. "But a motion to Enacting words strike out the enacting words of a bill shall have prece- out. dence of a motion to amend; and, if carried, shall be considered equivalent to its rejection."-Rule 123. (See all of said motions respectively.)

third reading.

[The question of engrossment is put in this form, viz: Engrossment and "Shall the bill be engrossed and read a third time?" If it be negatived, the bill is rejected; but if it be decided in the affirmative, and the bill is actually engrossed, or no question is made on its failure to be engrossed, the Speaker immediately directs "the third reading of the bill." But if the question is made, and it be not actually engrossed, the bill goes to the Speaker's table. In the case of a Senate bill, the engrossment having already Third reading been made before it came to the House, the question which arises is, "Shall the bill be read a third time?" which being decided negatively the bill is rejected, but being decided affirmatively the bill is immediately read a third time.]

of Senate bills.

with a preamble.

[Where the bill has a preamble, although there is no In case of a bill rule, and until lately no settled practice, defining the stage at which it is to be considered, it would seem to be most appropriate that its consideration should take place after the bill has been ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and before the third reading takes place. By this course, the bill can be engrossed either with or without the preamble, as the House shall have determined.] [After the third reading of a bill, the question which After third readnext arises in course is, "Shall the bill pass?" At this stage the bill is again open to debate, but is not amend- Debate.

ing.

able; it may, however, under the 124th Rule, be recom- Recommitment. mitted at any time before passage.-(See RECOMMIT, MOTION TO.)]

[The bill having passed, and the title having been After passage. read, the Speaker states, "If there be no objection this

Title.

After title disposed of.

will remain the title of the bill." The title, however, is subject to amendment, and, unless the previous question is ordered on it, is also debatable.]

[After the title is disposed of, it is usual for the member having charge of the bill to move" that the vote last taken be reconsidered, and that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table;" which latter motion having been decided in the affirmative, no reconsideration can take place, and the transmission of the bill to the Senate cannot be delayed. Indeed, it is not uncommon to make Motion to re- the motion "to reconsider and lie" at every stage of the

consider and lie.

Certified by Clerk and taken to the Senate.

bill.]

The bill is then, as required by Rule 127, "certified by the Clerk, notifying the day of its passage at the foot thereof," and conveyed by him to the Senate, "together with all the papers on which it is founded," as required Not to be taken by Joint Rule 14. But "no bill that shall have passed last three days of one house shall be sent for concurrence to the other on either of the last three days of the session."-Joint Rule 16. [This rule is almost invariably suspended by the two houses near the close of a session.]

to the Senate on

session.

To be on paper, when on passage

"While bills are on their passage between the two between the two houses, they shall be on paper, and under the signature of the Secretary or Clerk of each house respectively.”— Joint Rule 5.

houses.

After the re

turn of, from Sen

meut.

[After the bill has been acted on by the Senate, it is ate, with amend- brought back to the House by the Secretary of the Senate, together with a report of their action thereon. If it has passed with amendment, it is placed on the Speaker's table, to be taken up in its order under the 54th Rule.

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When taken up, the amendment of the Senate may be either agreed to, disagreed to, or agreed to with amendment; in case of an appropriation of money being involved in the amendment, however, it must be first considered in a Committee of the Whole.

If the amendment of the Senate is agreed to, that body is notified of the fact by message through the Clerk, and the bill is enrolled.]

between

the

In case of disagreement by the House to, or amend- Amendments ment of, the Senate's amendment, see AMENDMENTS houses. BETWEEN THE HOUSES and CONFERENCE COMMITTEES. "After a bill shall have passed both houses, it shall After passago by both houses, be duly enrolled on parchment by the Clerk of the House to be enrolled on parchment. of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate, as the bill may have originated in the one or the other house, before it shall be presented to the President of the United States."-Joint Rule 6.

to be examined.

"When bills are enrolled, they shall be examined by When enrolled, a joint committee of two from the Senate and two from the House of Representatives, appointed as a standing committee for that purpose, who shall carefully compare the enrollment with the engrossed bills, as passed in the two houses, and, correcting any errors that may be dis covered in the enrolled bills, make their report forthwith to their respective houses."-Joint Rule 7.

(See ENROLLED BILLS, COMMITTEE ON.)

exam

ined, to be re

"After examination and report, each bill shall be signed When in their respective houses, first by the Speaker of the ported to House and signed by House of Representatives, then by the President of the Speaker. Senate."-Joint Rule 8.

After being

presented to Pres

“After a bill shall have been thus signed in each house, signed by presi it shall be presented by the said committee to the Presi- ding officers, to bo dent of the United States for his approbation, it being ident. first indorsed on the back of the roll, certifying in which house the same originated; which indorsement shall be signed by the Secretary or Clerk (as the case may be) of the house in which the same did originate, and shall be entered on the Journal of each house. The said com. mittee shall report the day of presentation to the President, which time shall also be carefully entered on the Journal of each house."-Joint Rule 9. But "no bill or resolution that shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate shall be presented to the President of the United States for his approbation on the last day of the session."-Joint Rule 17. [This rule, like the 16th, is generally suspended near the close of the session.]

But not on last day of session.

After being pre. sented to Presi dent.

After a bill is presented to the President, "if he approve he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have origi Where bill is nated."-Const., 1, 7, p. 10. [Where the President ap

approved.

Where vetoed.

Where not returned within ten days.

proves a bill, it is customary for him to notify the house where the bill originated of the fact, and the date of his approval, which is entered on the Journal.]

When an act has been approved by the President the usual number of copies shall be printed for the use of the House.-Rule 157. And messages from the Presi dent giving notice of bills approved shall be repeated from the Clerk's desk forthwith.-Rule 158.

In case of a bill returned with the objections of the President, see VETO.

"If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law."-Const., 1, 7, p. 10. Where a bill is allowed to become a law by reason of the failure of the President to return the same, it is usual for him to notify the House of that fact, as in the case of approval.Where Presi Journals, 2, 36, pp. 424, 480; 2, 39, p. 479. And where dent is prevented from returning he is prevented by an adjournment from returning a bill, journment. it is usual for him to communicate his reasons for not approving it at the next session.-Journals, 2, 12, p. 544; 1, 30, p. 82; 2, 35, p. 151.

by reason of ad

Where bill of

one house is re

other.

Not to

"When a bill or resolution which shall have passed in jected in the one house is rejected in the other, notice thereof shall be given to the house in which the same shall have passed."be Joint Rule 12. And when so rejected, "it shall not be without leave of brought in during the same session, without a notice of ten days and leave of two-thirds of that house in which it shall be renewed."-Joint Rule 13.

brought in again

two-thirds.

Bills undisposed of at end of session.

Printing of.

In regard to bills left undisposed of at the end of a session, see UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

In regard to the printing of bills, see PRINTING, PUB

LIC.

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