	Rules Changes Affecting House Floor Procedure

On the first day of the 111 th Congress, the House agreed to H.Res. 5 , which made several changes to House rules affecting floor proceedings. Adjustment to Calendar Wednesday Procedure

Calendar Wednesday is a rarely-utilized procedure that allows committee-reported legislation, not otherwise privileged for floor consideration, to be called up by the committee of jurisdiction on Wednesdays. 5 amended clause 6 of Rule XV to require that the Calendar Wednesday procedure only occur at the request of a committee. 5 added a paragraph to clause 1 of Rule XIX to grant the presiding officer the authority to postpone consideration of legislation. Under the new paragraph, if legislation is being considered under the terms of a typical special rule, the presiding officer can postpone further consideration to a time designated by the Speaker. In the past, the House agreed to special rules that granted the Speaker the authority to postpone consideration when it anticipated that such authority might be useful. For example, it is no longer in order to offer a motion to recommit instructing the committee to report back a measure "promptly" with an amendment. The primary procedural effect of any motion to recommit with instructions other than to report back "forthwith" was the same as that of a motion to recommit without any instructions: the measure would be returned to committee with no requirement for further action. Instructions in a Motion to Recommit Must Direct Committee to Report "Forthwith"

Prior to the rules change at the start of the 111 th Congress, a motion to recommit with instructions could have omitted the term "forthwith" (referred to as a motion to recommit with non-forthwith instructions). In previous Congresses, a straight motion to recommit was not debatable. 5 amended House Rule XIX, clause 2(b), to allow 10 minutes of debate on any motion to recommit in order under this rule. 5 removed from House Rule XX, clause 2(a), a provision aimed at prohibiting the presiding officer from holding a vote open "for the sole purpose of reversing the outcome of such vote." The provision had been added at the start of the 110 th Congress, but due in part to issues concerning its enforceability, its deletion was recommended by the Select Committee to Investigate the Voting Irregularities of August 2, 2007. The first concerned the closing of votes taken by electronic device and the second addressed the use of the House floor. The announcement did not change the long-standing practices for ending a vote. The 2009 modification of the Speaker's announced policy establishes that the best practice is "for presiding officers is to await the Clerk's certification that a vote tally is complete and accurate." Use of the House Floor

Pursuant to authority granted to the Speaker over "general control of the Hall of the House" in House Rule I, clause 3, the Speaker also announced that the chamber of the House should not be used for "mock proceedings on the floor" or "political rallies."
On the first day of the 111th Congress, the House agreed to H.Res. 5, which made several changes to House rules affecting floor proceedings. First, the House amended clause 6 of Rule XV to require that Calendar Wednesday only occur at the request of a committee. Calendar Wednesday is a rarely-utilized procedure that allows reported legislation, not otherwise privileged for floor consideration, to be called up by the committee of jurisdiction on Wednesdays. Prior to this rules change, unanimous consent was routinely granted to waive the Calendar Wednesday procedure.
The House also added a paragraph to clause 1 of Rule XIX to grant the presiding officer the authority to postpone consideration of legislation. Under the new paragraph, if legislation is being considered under the typical terms of a special rule, the presiding officer can postpone further consideration to a time designated by the Speaker. During the 110th Congress, special rules usually included a provision granting the presiding officer this authority, and the addition of this paragraph to the standing rules makes such provisions unnecessary. The authority allows the presiding officer to postpone consideration even after the motion to recommit has been offered.
In addition, the House amended House Rule XIX, clause 2(b), to allow 10 minutes of debate on any motion to recommit in order under this rule. Prior to this rules change, a straight motion to recommit, which proposes to send the measure back to committee without instructions, was not debatable. The rule was further amended to require that any instructions in a motion to recommit be to report back an amendment "forthwith." It was previously in order to offer motions to recommit with instructions that did not propose that the committee report back "forthwith." For example, Members could propose instructions that the committee hold hearings, or report back a measure "promptly" with an amendment. The primary procedural effect of a motion to recommit with any instructions other than to report back "forthwith" was the same as a straight motion to recommit: the measure would be returned to committee with no requirement for further action.
Finally, the House removed from House Rule XX, clause 2(a), a provision that aimed to prohibit the presiding officer from holding a vote open "for the sole purpose of reversing the outcome of such vote." The provision had been added at the start of the 110th Congress, but due in part to issues concerning its enforceability, its deletion was recommended by the Select Committee to Investigate the Voting Irregularities of August 2, 2007.
At the start of the 111th Congress, the Speaker made customary announcements concerning House operations and the legislative process, with two modifications related to floor proceedings. First, the Speaker announced her endorsement of the existing process for closing a vote by electronic device. This announcement does not change long-standing practices for closing votes, but it states that the best practice is for presiding officers to rely on certification from the clerks that a vote tally is complete and accurate. Second, pursuant to authority granted to the Speaker over "general control of the Hall of the House" in House Rule I, clause 3, the Speaker announced that the chamber of the House should not be used for "mock proceedings on the floor" or "political rallies."