Standing Rules of the United States Senate
Encyclopedia
The Standing Rules of the Senate are the rules of order adopted by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 that govern its procedure. The Senate's power to establish rules derives from Article One, Section 5 of the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...

: "Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings..."

There are currently 43 rules, with the latest version having been adopted on April 27, 2000. (The Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2006
Lobbying in the United States
Lobbying in the United States targets the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures. Lobbyists may also represent their clients' or organizations' interests in dealings with federal, state, or local executive branch agencies or the courts. Lobby...

 lobbying reform bill introduces a 44th rule on earmarks). The stricter rules are often waived by unanimous consent
Unanimous consent
In parliamentary procedure, unanimous consent, also known as general consent, or in the case of the parliaments under the Westminster system, leave of the house, is a situation in which no one present objects to a proposal. The chair may state, for instance: "If there is no objection, the motion...

.

The Constitution provides that a majority of the Senate constitutes a quorum
Quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that group...

 to do business. Under the rules and customs of the Senate, a quorum is always assumed to be present unless a quorum call
Quorum call
A quorum call or call to quorum is a parliamentary procedure used to summon absent members of a deliberative body if a quorum is not present. Since attendance at debates is not mandatory in most legislatures, it is often the case that a quorum of members is not present while debate is ongoing...

 explicitly demonstrates otherwise. Any senator may request a quorum call by "suggesting the absence of a quorum"; a clerk then calls the roll
Roll call
Roll call is the calling of the names of people from a list to determine the presence or absence of the listed people . The term applies to the calling itself, to the time moment of this procedure, and to a military signal that announces it Roll call is the calling of the names of people from a...

 of the Senate and notes which members are present. In practice, senators almost always request quorum calls not to establish the presence of a quorum, but to temporarily delay proceedings. Such a delay may serve one of many purposes; often, it allows Senate leaders to negotiate compromises off the floor. Once the need for a delay has ended, any senator may request unanimous consent to rescind the quorum call.

During debates, senators may only speak if called upon by the Presiding Officer
Presiding Officer of the United States Senate
The Presiding Officer is the person who presides over the United States Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents...

. The presiding officer is, however, required to recognize the first senator who rises to speak. Thus, the presiding officer has little control over the course of debate. Customarily, the Majority Leader and Minority Leader are accorded priority during debates, even if another senator rises first. All speeches must be addressed to the presiding officer, using the words "Mr. President" or "Madam President." Only the presiding officer may be directly addressed in speeches; other Members must be referred to in the third person. In most cases, senators do not refer to each other by name, but by state, using forms such as "the senior senator from Virginia" or "the junior senator from California."

There are very few restrictions on the content of speeches; there is no requirement that speeches be germane to the matter before the Senate.

The Standing Rules of the United States Senate provide that no senator may make more than two speeches on a motion or bill on the same legislative day. (A legislative day begins when the Senate convenes and ends with adjournment; hence, it does not necessarily coincide with the calendar day.) The length of these speeches is not limited by the rules; thus, in most cases, senators may speak for as long as they please. Often, the Senate adopts unanimous consent agreements imposing time limits. In other cases (for example, for the Budget process), limits are imposed by statute. In general, however, the right to unlimited debate is preserved.

The filibuster
Filibuster
A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...

 is an obstructionary tactic used to defeat bills and motions by prolonging debate indefinitely. A filibuster may entail, but does not actually require, long speeches, dilatory motions, and an extensive series of proposed amendments. The longest filibuster speech in the history of the Senate was delivered by Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...

, who spoke for over twenty-four hours in an unsuccessful attempt to block the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957, , primarily a voting rights bill, was the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress in the United States since Reconstruction following the American Civil War.Following the historic US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v...

. The Senate may end a filibuster by invoking cloture
Cloture
In parliamentary procedure, cloture is a motion or process aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. It is also called closure or, informally, a guillotine. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. Clôture is French for "ending" or "conclusion"...

. In most cases, cloture requires the support of three-fifths of the Senate; however, if the matter before the Senate involves changing the rules of the body, a two-thirds majority is required. Cloture is invoked very rarely, particularly because bipartisan support is usually necessary to obtain the required supermajority. If the Senate does invoke cloture, debate does not end immediately; instead, further debate is limited to thirty additional hours unless increased by another three-fifths vote.

When debate concludes, the motion in question is put to a vote. In many cases, the Senate votes by voice vote
Voice vote
A voice vote is a voting method used by deliberative assemblies in which a vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding verbally....

; the presiding officer puts the question, and Members respond either "Aye" (in favor of the motion) or "No" (against the motion). The presiding officer then announces the result of the voice vote. Any senator, however, may challenge the presiding officer's assessment and request a recorded vote
Recorded vote
A recorded vote is a vote in which the names of those voting for and against a motion may be recorded.In many deliberative bodies , questions may be decided by voice vote, but the voice vote does not allow one to determine at a later date which members voted for and against the motion...

. The request may be granted only if it is seconded by one-fifth of the senators present. In practice, however, senators second requests for recorded votes as a matter of courtesy. When a recorded vote is held, the clerk calls the roll of the Senate in alphabetical order; each senator responds when his or her name is called. Senators who miss the roll call
Roll call
Roll call is the calling of the names of people from a list to determine the presence or absence of the listed people . The term applies to the calling itself, to the time moment of this procedure, and to a military signal that announces it Roll call is the calling of the names of people from a...

 may still cast a vote as long as the recorded vote remains open. The vote is closed at the discretion of the presiding officer, but must remain open for a minimum of 15 minutes. If the vote is tied, the Vice President, if present, is entitled to a casting vote
Casting vote
A casting vote is a vote given to the presiding officer of a council or legislative body to resolve a deadlock and which can be exercised only when such a deadlock exists...

. If the Vice President is not present, however, the motion is resolved in the negative.

On occasion, the Senate may go into what is called a secret, or closed session. During a closed session, the chamber doors are closed, and the galleries are completely cleared of anyone not sworn to secrecy, not instructed in the rules of the closed session, or not essential to the session. Closed sessions are quite rare, and usually held only under certain circumstances where the Senate is discussing sensitive subject-matter such as information critical to national security, private communications from the President, or even to discuss Senate deliberations during impeachment trials. Any Senator has the right to call a closed session as long as the motion is seconded.

Budget bills are governed under a special rule process called "Reconciliation
Reconciliation (United States Congress)
Reconciliation is a legislative process of the United States Senate intended to allow consideration of a budget bill with debate limited to twenty hours under Senate Rules...

" that disallows filibusters. Reconciliation was devised in 1974 but came into use in the early 1980s.

The Rules by Number

The [ Standing Rules of the Senate] detail the rules of order of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. The latest version was adopted on April 27, 2000 and comprises the following 43 rules. The Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2006 introduces a 44th rule on earmarks.
  1. SR Rule I
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule I
    Rule I of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the subject of the appointment of a Senator to the chair.-Absence of the Vice President:...

    : Appointment of a Senator to the Chair
  2. SR Rule II
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule II
    Rule II of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs presentation of credentials and questions of privilege.-Credentials:...

    : Presentation of Credentials and Questions of Privilege
  3. SR Rule III
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule III
    Rule III of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate,established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration governs the oath of office of Senators....

    : Oaths
  4. SR Rule IV
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule IV
    Rule IV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration governs commencement of daily sessions of the Senate.-Opening a business day:...

    : Commencement of Daily Sessions
  5. SR Rule V
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule V
    Rule V of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs amendments to the rules and suspension of the rules.-Opening a business day:...

    : Suspension and Amendment of the Rules
  6. SR Rule VI
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule VI
    Rule VI of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Committee on Rules and Administration, relates to a quorum and absentee Senators.This rule states:# A quorum shall consist of a majority of the Senators duly chosen and sworn....

    : Quorum - Absent Senators May Be Sent For
  7. SR Rule VII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule VII
    Rule VII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs morning business and the opening of a legislative day in the Senate.-Opening a legislative day:...

    : Morning Business
  8. SR Rule VIII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule VIII
    Rule VIII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the order of business in the Senate.- Order of proceedings:...

    : Order of Business
  9. SR Rule IX
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule IX
    Rule IX of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs messages from the President or House of Representatives to the Senate.-Incoming messages:...

    : Messages
  10. SR Rule X
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule X
    Rule X of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs special rules of the Senate and consists of one paragraph....

    : Special Orders
  11. SR Rule XI
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XI
    Rule XI of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs papers or documents and their withdrawal, printing, reading, and referencing within the Senate....

    : Papers - Withdrawal, Printing, Reading of, and Reference
  12. SR Rule XII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XII
    Rule XII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the voting procedures of the Senate.-Voting procedure:...

    : Voting Procedure
  13. SR Rule XIII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XIII
    Rule XIII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs reconsideration of a vote within the Senate.-Reconsideration of a vote:...

    : Reconsideration
  14. SR Rule XIV
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XIV
    Rule XIV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs joint resolutions, resolutions, and preambles of joint resolutions and resolutions in the Senate.-Objection to a bill:...

    : Joint Resolutions, and Preambles Thereto
  15. SR Rule XV
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XV
    Rule XV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs amendments and motions in the Senate.-Amendments with instruction:...

    : Amendments and Resolutions
  16. SR Rule XVI
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XVI
    Rule XVI of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs appropriations and amendments to general appropriations bills in the Senate.-Amendments to general appropriations:...

    : Appropriations and Amendments to General Appropriation Bills
  17. SR Rule XVII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XVII
    Standing Rules of the Senate, Rule XVII according to Standing Rules of the Senate, established by the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs motions to discharge committees, reports to committees, and committee hearings within the United States Senate.-Committee...

    : Reference to Committees; Motions to Discharge; Reports of Committees; and Hearings Available
  18. SR Rule XVIII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XVIII
    Standing Rules of the Senate, Rule XVIII according to Standing Rules of the Senate, established by the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the business continued from session to session within the United States Senate....

    : Business Continued from Session to Session
  19. SR Rule XIX
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XIX
    Rule XIX of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the subject of debate on the Senate floor.-Permission to speak:Paragraph 1a addresses the procedure on speaking...

    : Debate
  20. SR Rule XX
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XX
    Rule XX of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs questions of order the within the United States Senate....

    : Questions for Order
  21. SR Rule XXI
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXI
    Rule XXI of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs closed sessions of the Senate.-Motion to close doors:...

    : Session with Closed Doors
  22. SR Rule XXII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXII
    Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the precedence of motions in the Senate.-Motions and pending questions:...

    : Precedence of Motions
  23. SR Rule XXIII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXIII
    Rule XXIII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the privileges of the floor of the Senate....

    : Privilege of the Floor
  24. SR Rule XXIV
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXIV
    Rule XXIV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs appointment to standing committees.-Text of Rule XXIV:Rule XXIV provides that:...

    : Appointments of Committee
  25. SR Rule XXV
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXV
    Rule XXV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, establishes Senate standing committees and establishes their jurisdiction.-Paragraph 1:...

    : Standing Committees
  26. SR Rule XXVI
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXVI
    Rule XXIV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs committee procedure.-Paragraph 1:-Paragraph 2:-Regular and special meetings:...

    : Committee Procedure
  27. SR Rule XXVII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXVII
    Rule XXVII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs committee staff.-Text of Rule XXVII:...

    : Committee Staff
  28. SR Rule XXVIII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXVIII
    Rule XXVIII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs conference committees, reports, and open meetings.-Text of Rule XXVII:...

    : Conference Committees; Reports; Open Meetings
  29. SR Rule XXIX
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXIX
    Rule XXIX of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs executive session.-Text of Rule XXVII:...

    : Executive Sessions
  30. SR Rule XXX
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXX
    Rule XXX of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs executive sessions as it relation to proceedings on ratification of treaties by the Senate.-Text of Rule XXX:...

    : Executive Session - Proceedings on Treaties
  31. SR Rule XXXI
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXI
    Rule XXXI of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs executive sessions as it relation to proceedings on confirmations.-Text of Rule XXXI:...

    : Executive Session - Proceedings on Nominations
  32. SR Rule XXXII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXII
    Rule XXXII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs how the President of the United States shall be informed with records of executive sessions of the Senate....

    : The President Furnished with Copies of Record Executive Sessions
  33. SR Rule XXXIII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXIII
    Rule XXXIII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs usage of the United States Senate Chamber, and regulates the behavior of those within it.-Text of Rule XXXIII:...

    : Senate Chamber - Senate Wing of the Capitol
  34. SR Rule XXXIV
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXIV
    Rule XXXIV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the disclosure of financial information to the public.-Text of Rule XXXIV:-External links:...

    : Public Financial Disclosure
  35. SR Rule XXXV
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXV
    Rule XXXV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the acceptance of gifts by employees the Senate. The rule strictly regulates the criteria under which an employee of the Senate may accept a gift.-External links:**...

    : Gifts
  36. SR Rule XXXIV
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXVI
    Rule XXXVI of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs procedures involving outside earned income by Senate employees.-Text of Rule XXXVI:-External links:...

    : Outside Earned Income
  37. SR Rule XXXVII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXVII
    Rule XXXVII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs conflicts of interest within the Senate and how they should be handled.-Text of Rule XXXVII:-External links:...

    : Conflict of Interest
  38. SR Rule XXXVIII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXVIII
    Rule XXXVIII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the prohibition of unofficial office accounts.-Text of Rule XXXVIII:-External links:...

    : Prohibition of Unofficial Office Accounts
  39. SR Rule XXXIX
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXIX
    Rule XXXIX of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs foreign travel of those involved with the Senate, as well as its funding.-Text of Rule XXXIX:-External links:...

    : Foreign Travel
  40. SR Rule XL
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XL
    Rule XL of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs a Senator's use of the franking privilege and radio or television studios provided by either the Senate or House when he or she is a candidate for office and...

    : Franking Privilege and Radio and Television Studios
  41. SR Rule XLI
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XLI
    Rule XLI of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the political fund activity of employees of the Senate.-Text of Rule XLI:-External links:...

    : Political Fund Activity; Definitions
  42. SR Rule XLII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XLII
    Rule XLII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, govern the employment practices of the Senate.-Text of Rule XLII:-External links:...

    : Employment Practices
  43. SR Rule XLIII
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XLIII
    Rule XLIII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs representation by members of the Senate.-Text of Rule XLIII:-External links:...

    : Representation by Members
  44. SR Rule XLIV
    Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XLIV
    Rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs congressionally directed spending and related items.-Text of Rule XLIV:-External links:...

    : Congressionally Directed Spending and Related Items
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