Reed's Parliamentary Rules
Reed's Parliamentary Rules
Index
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by S.R. Holcomb, Chief Clerk,
House of Representatives, Olympia, Wash., 1952

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-- A --

Section Number

Action by Assembly, forms ... 100

Adjourn .... 169, 170, 201 
    motions, not debatable, nor amendable ... 201
    motion to fix the day, debatable, amendable ... 201
    motion to, privileged ... 169, 170, 171
    motion to, privileged ... 172
    practical suggestions ... 173

Amendment ... 129 to 161201 
    amendment to the amendment ... 133, 149
    committee ... 84
    division of question ... 151, 152, 153
    division of question, who may demand ... 152 
    filling of blanks ... 154 
    germane .... 160161
    incidental motions ... 201 
    insertion of words ... 135, 136
    limitation of words ... 159
    method of making, three ways ... 132
    modification by mover ... 150 
    motion for proposal ... 129 to 167
    motions, all debatable, amendable ... 201
    object ... 131
    other methods ... 155 
    paragraphs ... 130, 144
    preamble ... 130 note
    proposal, procedure ... 129130 
    proposed, one at a time ... 134
    stating amendments to the House ... 158
    striking all and substituting new matter ... 156, 157 
    striking out ... 137 to 147
    striking out and inserting ... 140 
    striking out and inserting indivisible ... 141, 145
    striking out and inserting paragraph ... 144147
    striking out and inserting, practical suggestion ... 146
    striking out, etc., effect of affirmative action ... 143
    striking out, etc., effect of negative action ... 142
    substitute ...140

Appeal ... 184, 185

Assemblies
    adaption of organization to size and nature of Assembly ... 5
    controlled by custom, parliamentary law ... 1
    credentials of membership ... 6
    House of Representatives, permanent organization ... 7
    legislative and constituent Assemblies ... 4
    nature of Assemblies, vary .... 2
    quorum, committee of the whole ... 18
    quorum, definition ... 9
    quorum, House of Reps., practice .... 16
    quorum, House of Reps., required during debate ... 17
    quorum, not present, adjournment ... 20
    quorum, number necessary ... 10 to 15
    quorum, practical application .... 19
    temporary organization ... 8
    voluntary, called by those interested in a cause ... 3

Assembly, adaption of organization ... 5 to 8
    forms of action ... 100

-- B --

Business, how introduced ... 101, 102
    conduct .... 100 to 195

-- C--

Clerk ....41 
    duties ... 43
    qualifications ... 42
    right to debate and vote, if a member of the Assembly ... 45
    substitute ... 44

Commit. See Motions.

Committee of the Whole ... 86 to 99
    chairman ... 87
    clerk ...  88
    debate ... 91
    House of Representatives ... 96
    origin .... 86
    procedure .... 87 to 98
    quorum .... 89
    record ... 93
    report ... 93
    rising ... 92
    sittings, how ordered ... 98
    subjects referred .... 95
    suggestions ... 99
    yeas and nays prohibited ... 90

Committees .... 119 
    action before Assembly ... 80 to 82
    action must be at meeting ... 79
    amendments ... 84
    appointment and selection ... 64 to 69
    conference ... 63
    consideration of reports ... 8182
    consideration of reports on bills ... 83
    duties of officers ... 73
    joint ... 62
    kinds ... 59
    method of procedure ... 70 to 79
    minority views ... 75
    motion to rerefer, to suspend action ... 119, 120
    nature and need ... 58
    organization ... 71
    place and time of meeting ... 70
    principle of selection ... 69
    quorum ... 72
    report ... 80, 85
    secret meetings ... 78
    select .... 61
    selection ... 64 to 69
    standing ... 60

Communication between two houses, methods ... 236
    committees ... 238, 239
    messages ... 237

Conduct of Business .... 100 to 195

Conference Committees.  See Inter-proceedings, Senate and House.

Consideration, question of .... 110
    motions as to methods ... 194
    time of raising ... 112

-- D --

Debate ....    91 
    beginning ....  213
    cessation .... 220
    committee of the whole ... 91
    disorderly words ... 222, 223
    duties of members ... 212, 213, 214
    duties, presiding officer ... 225
    House of Representatives ... 227
    informal remarks ...  219
    infraction, punishment ...  226, 227, 228
    members may speak but once ....  215
    motions, various, debate allowed ... 201
    object .... 212
    preserving order ...  221
    recognitions ...  214
    reference to in other branch ...  224
    relevancy, confined to subject ... 216
    yielding the floor ... 217, 218

Decorum
    debate and disorder, punishment ... 226, 227,  228
    disorderly words in debate ... 222
    duties of presiding officer ... 225
    preserving order, during debate ...  221
    references to other branch of legislature ... 224

Division of Question ....  151, 193 
    amendments ... 151, 152, 153

Duties
    clerk .... 43
    committee officers ... 73
    members ... 49
    presiding officer ... 34

-- F --

Filling of Blanks
    amendments ... 154

Forms ... 270 to 288
    call for meeting ... 270
    calling to order ... 271
    motions to adjourn ... 281
    motions to amend ... 279
    motions to commit ... 278
    motions on division of question ... 288
    motions to lay on table ... 276
    motions on point of order ... 274288
    motions on postponement ... 277
    motions on previous question ... 280
    motions of privilege ... 283
    motions on reading of papers ... 285
    motions on recess ... 282
    motions on suspension of rules ... 286
    parliamentary inquiries ... 273
    preliminary proceedings ... 271

-- G --

General Parliamentary Law. See Introduction.

-- H --

House and Senate Inter-proceedings
    conference committees, action, objective ... 243
    conference committees, method of obtaining ... 245
    conference committees, procedure in House and Senate to accept or reject reports ... 246 to 254
    conference committee reports ... 244
    conferences ... 240, 241
    free conference ... 242
    joint committees ... 238
    messages ... 237
    methods of communication ... 236
    select committees ... 239

House of Representatives
    committee, may report at any time ... 80
    committees of the whole ... 96
    conference report ... 246
    debate ... 227
    division of question ... 152
    lay on the table ... 115
    methods of business ... 289
    orders of the day ... 258
    permanent organization ... 7
    petitions ... 107
    previous question ... 126
    privileged motions ... 177
    punishment for misbehavior ... 228
    questions of privilege ... 178
    quorum, committee of the whole ... 18
    quorum, not present, adjournment ...20
    quorum, practical application ... 19
    quorum, practice ... 16, 21
    quorum, required during debate ... 17
    rank of motions .... 265
    reading papers ... 188
    reconsideration ... 206
    reconsideration, who may move ... 208
    seconding motions ... 105
    speaker pro tem, selection of ... 39
    suspension of rules ... 54, 192
    temporary organization .... 8
    withdrawal of motion ... 190
    yielding floor .... 218

-- I --

Incidental Motions. See Order, points of ... 181 to 195
    consideration, motions as to method ... 194195
    division of the question ... 151193
    motions, not debatable nor amendable ... 201
    reading of papers ... 187
    relation to subsidiary motions, rank ... 181, 182, 199, 200
    suspension of rules ... 53
    withdrawal of motion ... 189

Indefinite Postponement.  See Motions.
    motion for ... 121, 122

Inter-proceedings Between Senate and House
    conference committees, action, objective ... 243
    conference committees, method of obtaining ... 245
    conference committees, procedure in Senate and House to accept or reject report .... 246 to 254
    conference committee reports ... 244
    conferences ... 240241
    free conference ... 242
    joint committees ... 238
    messages ... 237
    methods of communication ... 236
    select committees ... 239

-- J --

Journal ... 46

-- L --

Lay on Table. See Motions.
    motion not debatable ... 201
    motion to suspend action ... 114 to 117

Legislature, co-ordinate branches. See Inter-proceedings, Senate and House.
    committees, joint .... 238
    committees, select .... 239
    communication, method ... 236
    conferences .... 240 to 246

-- M --

Main Question .... 109 
    described ... 196
    incidental motions and questions ... 199
    motions not debatable or amendable ... 201
    order of motions, described ... 200
    privileged motions ... 198
    subsidiary motions, rank .... 197

Majority Rule .... 23

Members' Rights and Duties ..... 48, 49, 50

Minority, views .... 75

Minutes. See Journal.

Motions. See Amendments .... 129 to 167
    adjourn .... 169, 170171   
adjourn and recess, quorum required ... 175, 176
    adjournment, fixing time ... 171172
    change in rank, House of Representatives ....  264, 265, 268
    committee, motion to rerefer ... 119, 120, 197201
    consideration, methods ... 194195
    incidental, rank ... 181, 182199
    indefinite postponement ... 121, 122201
    lay on table ... 114 to 117201
    main question, when stated ... 109
    point of order preventing consideration ... 111112
    postpone indefinitely, not amendable but debatable ... 201
    postpone to a day certain ... 118, 201, 256
    postpone to a day certain, debatable, amendable ... 201
    previous question ... 123 to 127, 201, 268, 269
    privileged ... 167 to 174201
    privileged and incidental ... 162
    question of consideration ... 110
    rank ... 197, 201, 264265
    rank, change in order .... 268
    reading of papers ... 187188
    recess ... 174201
    reconsideration ... 202 to 211
    rerefer to committee ... 119, 120, 197201
    rerefer to committee, amendable, debatable ...201
    second ...104105
    stated, in possession of House ... 108
    subsidiary ... 162 to 197
    subsidiary to main question, rank ... 163 to 166
    suspension of rules ... 191192
    withdrawal of motion ... 189190
    written, when required ... 103

-- O --

Officers, election by plurality ... 25
    additional ... 47
    required ... 47

Order of Business .... 255, 258, 260 to 263, 267
    changes in order ... 267, 171
    customary practices ... 260 to 263
    orders of the day ... 255
    orders of the day, how taken up.... 257
    postpone to a day certain ... 256
    rank of motions .... 264265
    special rules .... 266

Order, Points of .... 111, 182199
    appeal ...184185
    disposal ...183
    during divisions ... 235
    manner of raising and deciding ... 184
    time of raising ... 112, 199

Orders of the Day ... 255, 256257
    House of Representatives ... 258

Organization, commencement ... 5 to 8
    bicameral ... 28, 29, 30
    House of Representatives ... 31
    legislative ... 31
    object ... 26
    permanent .... 30
    simple ... 27
    temporary ... 29

Origin and Precedents .... 1

-- P --

Parliamentary Inquiry.  Note ... 34

Parliamentary Law .... 1

Petitions .... 106 
    House of Representatives ... 107

Point of Order.  See Order, Points of.
    preventing consideration of motion ... 111112
    raised while voting ... 235

Postpone Indefinitely
    motion, amendable, debatable ... 201

Postpone to Day Certain.  See Motions.
    motion, debatable, amendable ... 201
    motion for becomes order of day for that day ... 256
    motion to suspend action ... 118

Preamble, amendment ... 130

Presiding Officer .... 32 
    appointment of substitute .... 37, 3839
    behavior ... 35
    debate, right to ... 40
    duties ... 34, 94214
    duty on abuse of forms ... 225
    power over Assembly ... 36
    qualifications ... 33
    substitute ... 37, 38, 39

Previous Question
    motion, not debatable nor amendable ...201
    motions to stop debate ... 123 to 127
    two-thirds rule ... 269

Privileged Motions .... 167, 168198
    description ... 167, 168, 174, 198

Procedure, Method
    amendments ... 129
    main question ... 109
    paragraphs ... 134144
    sections ... 134, 144

-- Q --

Qualifications of Officers .... 3342

Question of Consideration .... 110

Questions of Order
    appeal, disposition ... 185
    disposition ... 183
    division of question ... 193, 194195
    method of raising ... 184
    points of order, illustrations ... 186
    reading of papers ... 187188
    suspension of rules ... 191192
    withdrawal of motion ... 189, 190

Questions of Privilege .... 167 to 180

Quorum, adjournment when lacking .167... 20 
    ascertainment ... 34
    committee of the whole ... 1889
    definition ... 9
    during debate ... 17
    majority ...12
    motions to adjourn and recess ... 175176
    number necessary ... 10
    practical application of doctrine ... 19
    practice in House of Representatives ... 16
    present, sufficient requirement ... 15
    required ...14

-- R --

Rank of Motions, general ... 197, 201, 264265
    parliamentary acceptance ... 265

Reading of Papers ... 187

Recess, motion for ... 174

Recognitions, by presiding officer .... 214

Reconsideration ... 202 to 211
    debate ... 210
    effect ... 203
    generally ... 202
    motions for, described and explained ... 202 to 211
    motion, object ... 209
    motion, reopens entire question ... 203
    motion, when permissible ... 204
    motion, when to be made ... 205206
    motion, who may make it ... 207208
    object ... 209
    second reconsideration prohibited ... 204
    yeas and nays, who may make motion ... 204

Recording Officer.  See Clerk.

Rules, absence ... 56
    alteration and amendment ... 52
    practical suggestions ... 55
    reason for rules ... 51
    special .... 51, 259
    suspension ... 53, 54

-- S --

Secretary.  See Clerk.

Senate and House Inter-proceedings
    conference committees, action, objective ... 243
    conference committees, method of obtaining ... 245
    conference committees, procedure in Senate and House to accept or reject reports ... 246 to 254
    conference committee reports ... 244
    conferences ... 240241
    free conference ... 242
    joint committees ... 238
    messages ... 237
    methods of communication ... 236
    select committees ... 239

Sub-committees .... 97

Subsidiary Motions, to main question,
rank ...163 to 166, 197

Substitute Bill ... 77

Suspension of Rules ... 5354

-- U --

Unanimous Consent, effect ... 24

-- V --

View of Minority ....75

Voting
    methods ... 229 to 234
    points of order ... 235
    rising vote ... 231
    sound ... 230
    various other methods ... 234
    yeas and nays ... 232, 233

-- Y --

Yeas and Nays ... 90232

Yielding the Floor ... 217218