Committee of the Whole (United States House of Representatives)
- Committee of the Whole (United States House of Representatives)
-
In the United States House of Representatives, the Committee of the Whole, short for Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, is a parliamentary device in which the House of Representatives is considered one large congressional committee. The presiding officer is chosen by the Speaker of the House and is normally a member of the majority party who does not hold the chair of a standing committee.
Procedurally, the Committee of the Whole differs from the House of Representatives even though they have identical membership. The Committee of the Whole only requires 100 members for a quorum, while only 25 members are required to force a recorded rather than voice vote. In the version of the Committee of the Whole that existed in the British House of Commons, the original use of this committee was to debate bills privately and prevent a recorded vote from being taken. It is normally invoked to give initial consideration of important legislation, including bills for raising revenue, and serves to expedite the process since debate over amendment occurs under a special five-minute rule. The House and the Committee of the Whole do not operate at the same time; rather, to consider bills, the House must resolve itself into the Committee of the Whole. To dissolve itself, the Committee of the Whole must "rise and report with a recommendation". The Committee of the Whole can recommend amendments to any bill. The House must then approve these amendments before the amendments are added to the final bill.
It allows bills and resolutions to be considered without adhering to all the formal rules of a House session, such as needing a quorum of 218. All measures on the Union Calendar must be considered first by the Committee of the Whole.[1]
Contents
Use in the United States Senate
The United States Senate used the Committee of the Whole as a parliamentary device until May 16, 1930, when the practice was abolished with respect to bills and joint resolutions. The Senate continued to utilize the Committee of the Whole for consideration of treaties until February 27, 1986,[2] with the passage of S.Res 28.[2]
References
Further reading
- Sinclair, Barbara (1997). Unorthodox Lawmaking: New Legislative Processes in the U.S. Congress. CQ Press. ISBN 1-56802-276-X.
External links
Categories:- Committees of the United States House of Representatives
- Terminology of the United States Congress
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
United States Declaration of Independence — Declaration of Independence redirects here. For the type of document generally, see Declaration of independence. For the painting, see Trumbull s Declaration of Independence. United States Declaration of Independence … Wikipedia
United States Department of Homeland Security — DHS redirects here. For other uses, see DHS (disambiguation). United States Department of Homeland Security Agency overview Formed … Wikipedia
Federal government of the United States — The federal government of the United States is the central United States governmental body, established by the United States Constitution. The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and judiciary. Through a system of… … Wikipedia
Electoral College (United States) — Electoral votes by state/federal district, for the elections of 2012, 2016 and 2020, with apportionment changes between the 2000 and 2010 Censuses … Wikipedia
Comparison of Canadian and United States governments — Though there are many similarities between the politics of Canada and the politics of the United States, there are also important differences. Many of the differences and similarities have formed the foundation for debates in the nineteenth,… … Wikipedia
Supreme Court of the United States — Infobox High Court|court name = Supreme Court of the United States imagesize = 150px caption = established = 1789 country = United States location = Washington, D.C. coordinates= coord|38|53|26.55|N|77|00|15.64|W|display=inline,title type =… … Wikipedia
Native Americans in the United States — This article is about the indigenous people of the United States. For other indigenous people see Indigenous peoples by geographic regions Native Americans … Wikipedia
Admission to the bar in the United States — For information on individual state bars, see state bar association. Legal education in the United States … Wikipedia
Reconstruction era of the United States — In the history of the United States, Reconstruction refers to the time between 1863 and 1877 when the U.S. focused on abolishing slavery, destroying the Confederacy, and reconstructing the nation and the Constitution. Reconstruction is also the… … Wikipedia
United States Constitution — P … Wikipedia
United States Coast Guard — portal Active 4 August 1790–present … Wikipedia
