Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule VII
Encyclopedia
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
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is read, the Presiding Officer
on demand of any Senator shall lay before the Senate messages from the President of the United States
, reports and communications from the heads of executive departments
, and other communications addressed to the Senate, and such bills
, joint resolution
s, and other messages from the House of Representatives
as may remain upon his table from any previous day's session undisposed of. The Presiding Officer on demand of any Senator shall then call for, in the following order:
to proceed with any bill, resolution, report of a committee, or other subjects on the calendar until the morning business has been concluded and announced from the Chair, or until one hour after the Senate convenes at the beginning of a new legislative day. The exception is by unanimous consent provided that on Mondays which are the beginning of a legislative day the calendar shall be called under Rule VIII, and until two hours after the Senate convenes.
. No other portion of any petition or memorial shall be printed in the Record unless specifically ordered by vote of the Senate and as provided for in paragraph 4 of Rule XI. The order shall be deemed to apply to the body of the petition or memorial only. Any names attached to the petition or memorial shall not be printed unless specially ordered. The exceptions are petitions and memorials from the legislatures or conventions of the respective states, territories, and insular possessions
, lawfully called for, shall be printed in full in the Record whenever presented.
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Standing Rules of the United States Senate
The Standing Rules of the Senate are the rules of order adopted by the United States Senate that govern its procedure. The Senate's power to establish rules derives from Article One, Section 5 of the United States Constitution: "Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings..."There are...
, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration is responsible for the rules of the United States Senate, with administration of congressional buildings, and with credentials and qualifications of members of the Senate, including responsibility for dealing with contested elections.The committee...
, governs morning business and the opening of a legislative day in the 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...
.
Opening a legislative day
Paragraph 1 states on each legislative day after the Senate JournalUnited States Senate Journal
The United States Senate Journal is a written record of proceedings within the United States Senate in accordance with Article I, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution....
is read, 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...
on demand of any Senator shall lay before the Senate messages from the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, reports and communications from the heads of executive departments
United States Federal Executive Departments
The United States federal executive departments are among the oldest primary units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States—the Departments of State, War, and the Treasury all being established within a few weeks of each other in 1789.Federal executive...
, and other communications addressed to the Senate, and such bills
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
, joint resolution
Joint resolution
In the United States Congress, a joint resolution is a legislative measure that requires approval by the Senate and the House and is presented to the President for his/her approval or disapproval, in exactly the same case as a bill....
s, and other messages from the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
as may remain upon his table from any previous day's session undisposed of. The Presiding Officer on demand of any Senator shall then call for, in the following order:
- The presentation of petitions and memorials.
- Reports of committeesUnited States Congressional committeeA congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty . Committee membership enables members to develop specialized knowledge of the matters under their jurisdiction...
. - The introduction of bills and joint resolutions.
- The submission of other resolutionsResolution (law)A resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion. For long or important motions, though, it is often better to have them written out so that discussion is easier or so that it can be...
. - All of which shall be received and disposed of in such order, unless unanimous consentUnanimous consentIn 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...
shall be otherwise given, with newly offered resolutions being called for before resolutions coming over from a previous legislative day are laid before the Senate.
Conclusion of morning business
Paragraph 2 states the Presiding Officer cannot consider any motionsMotion (democracy)
A motion is a formal step to introduce a matter for consideration by a group. It is a common concept in the procedure of trade unions, students' unions, corporations, and other deliberative assemblies...
to proceed with any bill, resolution, report of a committee, or other subjects on the calendar until the morning business has been concluded and announced from the Chair, or until one hour after the Senate convenes at the beginning of a new legislative day. The exception is by unanimous consent provided that on Mondays which are the beginning of a legislative day the calendar shall be called under Rule VIII, and until two hours after the Senate convenes.
Laying of a bill
Paragraph 3 states that at any time, the Presiding Officer may lay any bill or other matter sent to the Senate by the President or the House of Representatives for appropriate action allowed under the rules and any question pending at that time shall be suspended for this purpose. It shall be in order at any time for a Senator to move to lay, before the Senate. Any motion so made shall be determined without debate.Petitions and memorials
Paragraph 4 states that petitions or memorials shall be referred to the appropriate committee according to subject matter on the same basis as bills and resolutions without debate if signed by the petitioner or memorialist. A question of receiving or reference may be raised and determined without debate. No petition or memorial or other paper signed by citizens or subjects of a foreign power shall be received unless transmitted to the Senate by the President of the United States.Printing rule for petitions and memorials
Paragraph 5 states that only a brief statement of the contents of petitions and memorials shall be printed in the Congressional RecordCongressional Record
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
. No other portion of any petition or memorial shall be printed in the Record unless specifically ordered by vote of the Senate and as provided for in paragraph 4 of Rule XI. The order shall be deemed to apply to the body of the petition or memorial only. Any names attached to the petition or memorial shall not be printed unless specially ordered. The exceptions are petitions and memorials from the legislatures or conventions of the respective states, territories, and insular possessions
Insular area
An insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States...
, lawfully called for, shall be printed in full in the Record whenever presented.
Delivery and endorsement
Paragraph 6 states that Senators having petitions, memorials, bills, or resolutions to present after the morning hour may deliver them in the absence of objection to the Presiding Officer's desk. These items must be endorsed with their names, and with the approval of the Presiding Officer, they shall be entered on the Senate Journal with the names of the Senators presenting them. In the absence of objection, these items shall be considered as having been read twice and referred to the appropriate committees. A transcript of these entries shall be furnished to the official reporter of debates for publication in the Congressional Record, under the direction of the Secretary of the United States SenateSecretary of the United States Senate
The Secretary of the Senate is an elected officer of the United States Senate. The Secretary supervises an extensive array of offices and services to expedite the day-to-day operations of that body...
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