{
  "id": "RL32474",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32474",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 104411,
      "date": "2005-02-01",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:55:03.309029",
      "title": "Suspension of the Rules in the House of Representatives",
      "summary": "Suspension of the rules is a procedure the House of Representatives uses frequently to debate\nand\npass measures on the floor. After a Representative moves to suspend the rules and pass a particular\nmeasure, there can be 40 minutes of debate on the motion and the measure. No floor amendments\nto the measure are in order. However, the Member who offers the suspension motion may include\namendments to the measure as part of the motion. In this case, the Member moves to suspend the\nrules and pass the bill or resolution as amended. At the end of the debate, the House casts a single\nvote on suspending the rules and passing the measure. There is no separate vote on the measure or\non any of the amendments to it that are included in the suspension motion. Each suspension motion\nrequires a vote of two-thirds of the Members present and voting, a quorum being present.\n  \n  The Speaker determines which suspension motions the House will consider. Members offering\nsuspension motions are recognized at the discretion of the Speaker. House rules provide that such\nmotions are in order on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and on the last six days of a session\nof Congress, and at other times by unanimous consent or pursuant to a standing order or a special\nrule the House has adopted. The Speaker also may postpone electronic votes on suspension motions\nuntil later on the same day or until the following day, and then cluster these votes to occur one right\nafter the other.\n  The suspension procedure is well-suited for expeditious action on relatively non-controversial\nmeasures. Approximately one-half of the bills and resolutions the House has passed in recent\nCongresses have been considered in this way. The House also sometimes agrees to suspension\nmotions for other purposes, such as to agree to Senate amendments to a bill the House already has\npassed, or to agree to a conference report.\n  In early Congresses, motions to suspend the rules were used primarily to give individual bills\npriority for floor action. When considered, these bills were debated and amended under the House's\nregular legislative procedures. Gradually during the 19th century, the suspension motion was\ntransformed into a procedure for taking up and acting on a bill by one vote. Also originally,\nMembers claimed the right to be recognized for the purpose of offering whatever suspension motions\nthey wished. Late in the last century, the Speaker asserted the authority to decide which Members\nwould be recognized to make suspension motions and the purposes for which these motions would\nbe offered.\n  This control by the Speaker transformed suspension of the rules into a useful and well-regulated\ndevice for the majority party leadership to schedule floor action on measures that are supported by\nmore than a simple majority of the House. This report will be updated to reflect any procedural\nchanges.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc815171/",
      "id": "RL32474_2004Jul13",
      "date": "2004-07-13",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Suspension of the Rules in the House of Representatives",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "American Law",
    "Economic Policy",
    "Legislative Process"
  ]
}