Debate of a bill in the house of representatives under a “closed rule” means that
journal article Show Midwest Journal of Political Science Vol. 5, No. 1 (Feb., 1961) , pp. 59-69 (11 pages) Published By: Midwest Political Science Association https://doi.org/10.2307/2109042 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2109042 This is a preview. Log in to get access Publisher Information The Midwest Political Science Association, founded in 1939, is a national organization of more than 2,800 political science professors, researchers, students, and public administrators from throughout the United States and over 50 foreign countries. The association is dedicated to the advancement of scholarly communication in all areas of political science. Each year the association sponsors a three-day conference of political scientists in Chicago for the purpose of presenting and discussing the latest research in political science. More than 2,000 individuals participate in this conference, which features 300 panels and programs on politics. The MPSA is headquartered at Indiana University. For further information, contact William D. Morgan, Executive Director, email: . Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Suspension of the rules is a procedure the House of Representatives uses frequently to debate and pass measures on the floor. After a Representative moves to suspend the rules and pass a particular measure, there can be 40 minutes of debate on the motion and the measure. No floor amendments to the measure are in order. However, the Member who offers the suspension motion may include amendments to the measure as part of the motion. In this case, the Member moves to suspend the rules and pass the bill or resolution as amended. At the end of the debate, the House casts a single vote on suspending the rules and passing the measure. There is no separate vote on the measure or on any of the amendments to it that are included in the suspension motion. Each suspension motion requires a vote of two-thirds of the Members present and voting, a quorum being present. The Speaker determines which suspension motions the House will consider. Members offering suspension motions are recognized at the discretion of the Speaker. House rules provide that such motions are in order on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and on the last six days of a session of Congress, and at other times by unanimous consent or pursuant to a standing order or a special rule the House has adopted. The Speaker also may postpone electronic votes on suspension motions until later on the same day or until the following day, and then cluster these votes to occur one right after the other. The suspension procedure is well-suited for expeditious action on relatively non-controversial measures. Approximately one-half of the bills and resolutions the House has passed in recent Congresses have been considered in this way. The House also sometimes agrees to suspension motions for other purposes, such as to agree to Senate amendments to a bill the House already has passed, or to agree to a conference report. In early Congresses, motions to suspend the rules were used primarily to give individual bills priority for floor action. When considered, these bills were debated and amended under the House's regular legislative procedures. Gradually during the 19th century, the suspension motion was transformed into a procedure for taking up and acting on a bill by one vote. Also originally, Members claimed the right to be recognized for the purpose of offering whatever suspension motions they wished. Late in the last century, the Speaker asserted the authority to decide which Members would be recognized to make suspension motions and the purposes for which these motions would be offered. This control by the Speaker transformed suspension of the rules into a useful and well-regulated device for the majority party leadership to schedule floor action on measures that are supported by more than a simple majority of the House. This report will be updated to reflect any procedural changes. Order Code RL32474 Suspension of the Rules in the House of The Speaker determines which suspension motions the House will consider. Contents Suspension of the Rules in the House of CRS-2 Discretion of the Speaker CRS-3 CRS-4 CRS-5 CRS-6 CRS-7 CRS-8 CRS-9 CRS-10 CRS-11 CRS-12 CRS-13 CRS-14 CRS-15 CRS-16 CRS-17 CRS-18 CRS-19 CRS-20 CRS-21 CRS-22 CRS-23 CRS-24 CRS-25 CRS-26 CRS-27 CRS-28 CRS-29 CRS-30 CRS-31 CRS-32 CRS-33 CRS-34 CRS-35 CRS-36 CRS-37 CRS-38 CRS-39 CRS-40 CRS-41 CRS-42 CRS-43 CRS-44 EveryCRSReport.com What closes the debate on a bill?But because a cloture process is often required to end debate on a bill, then the bill first must garner the support of a three-fifths supermajority. All told, this process of reaching a final vote on a bill can require about a week of Senate floor time to complete.
What is the difference between a closed rule and open rule on House floor debates?Closed rules set time limits on debate and restrict the passage of amendments; open rules permit amendment from the floor of the house. In the US Congress the passage of legislation through the House of Representatives is controlled by these rules, which are set by the House Rules Committee.
What is an open rule of debate?Open Rules—permit the offering of any amendment that otherwise complies with House rules, and allows debate under the 5-minute rule.
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