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[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H22-H24]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair customarily takes this occasion at 
the outset of a Congress to announce her policies with respect to 
particular aspects of the legislative process. The Chair will insert in 
the Record announcements concerning:
  first, privileges of the floor;
  second, introduction of bills and resolutions;
  third, unanimous-consent requests for the consideration of 
legislation;
  fourth, recognition for 1-minute speeches;
  fifth, recognition for Special Order speeches;
  sixth, decorum in debate;
  seventh, conduct of votes by electronic device;
  eighth, use of handouts on the House floor;
  ninth, use of electronic equipment on the House floor; and
  tenth, use of the Chamber.
  These announcements, where appropriate, will reiterate the origins of 
the stated policies. The Chair intends to continue in the 111th 
Congress the policies reflected in these statements. The policy 
announced in the 102nd Congress with respect to jurisdictional concepts 
related to clause 5(a) of rule XXI--tax and tariff measures--will 
continue to govern but need not be reiterated, as it is adequately 
documented as precedent in the House Rules and Manual.
  Without objection, the announcements will be printed in the Record.
  There was no objection.

                       1. Privileges of the Floor

       The Chair will make the following announcements regarding 
     floor privileges, which will apply during the 111th Congress.

           ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER WITH RESPECT TO STAFF

       Rule IV strictly limits those persons to whom the 
     privileges of the floor during sessions of the House are 
     extended, and that rule prohibits the Chair from entertaining 
     requests for suspension or waiver of that rule. As reiterated 
     by the Chair on January 21, 1986, January 3, 1985, January 
     25, 1983, and August 22, 1974, and as stated in Chapter 10, 
     section 2, of House Practice, the rule strictly limits the 
     number of committee staff on the floor at one time during the 
     consideration of measures reported from their committees. 
     This permission does not extend to Members' personal staff 
     except when a Member's amendment is actually pending during 
     the five-minute rule. It also does not extend to personal 
     staff of Members who are sponsors of pending bills or who are 
     engaging in special orders. The Chair requests the 
     cooperation of all Members and committee staff to assure that 
     only the proper number of staff are on the floor, and then 
     only during the consideration of measures within the 
     jurisdiction of their committees. The Chair is making this 
     statement and reiterating this policy because of Members' 
     past insistence upon strict enforcement of the rule. The 
     Chair requests each committee chair, and each ranking 
     minority member, to submit to the Speaker a list of those 
     staff who are allowed on the floor during the consideration 
     of a measure reported by their committee. The Sergeant-at-
     Arms, who has been directed to assure proper enforcement of 
     rule IV, will keep the list. Each staff person should 
     exchange his or her ID for a ``committee staff'' badge, which 
     is to be worn while on the floor. The Chair has consulted 
     with the Minority Leader and will continue to consult with 
     him.
       Furthermore, as the Chair announced on January 7, 2003, in 
     accordance with the change in the 108th Congress of clause 
     2(a) of rule IV regarding leadership staff floor access, only 
     designated staff approved by the Speaker shall be granted the 
     privilege of the floor. The Speaker intends that her approval 
     be narrowly granted on a bipartisan basis to staff from the 
     majority and minority side and only to those staff essential 
     to floor activities.

       ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER WITH RESPECT TO FORMER MEMBERS

       The Speaker's policy announced on February 1, 2006, will 
     continue to apply in the 111th Congress.

             ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER, FEBRUARY 1, 2006

       The SPEAKER. The House has adopted a revision to the rule 
     regarding the admission to the floor and the rooms leading 
     thereto. Clause 4 of rule IV provides that a former Member, 
     Delegate or Resident Commissioner or a former Parliamentarian 
     of the House, or a former elected officer of the House or a 
     former minority employee nominated as an elected officer of 
     the House shall not be entitled to the privilege of admission 
     to the Hall of the House and the rooms extending thereto if 
     he or she is a registered lobbyist or an agent of a foreign 
     principal; has any direct personal pecuniary interest in 
     any legislative measure pending before the House, or 
     reported by a committee; or is in the employ of or 
     represents any party or organization for the purpose of 
     influencing, directly or indirectly, the passage, defeat, 
     or amendment of any legislative proposal.
       This restriction extends not only to the House floor but 
     adjacent rooms, the cloakrooms and the Speaker's lobby.
       Clause 4 of rule IV also allows the Speaker to exempt 
     ceremonial and educational functions from the restrictions of 
     this clause. These restrictions shall not apply to attendance 
     at joint meetings or joint sessions, Former Members' Day 
     proceedings, educational tours, and other occasions as the 
     Speaker may designate.
       Members who have reason to know that a person is on the 
     floor inconsistent with clause 4 of rule IV should notify the 
     Sergeant-at-Arms promptly.

                2. Introduction of Bills and Resolutions

       The policy that the Chair announced on January 3, 1983, 
     with respect to the introduction and reference of bills and 
     resolutions will continue to apply in the 111th Congress. The 
     Chair has advised all officers and employees of the House 
     that are involved in the processing of bills that every bill, 
     resolution, memorial, petition or other material that is 
     placed in the hopper must bear the signature of a Member. 
     Where a bill or resolution is jointly sponsored, the 
     signature must be that of the Member first named thereon. The 
     bill clerk is instructed to return to the Member any bill 
     which appears in the hopper without an original signature. 
     This procedure was inaugurated in the 92d Congress. It has 
     worked well, and the Chair thinks that it is essential to 
     continue this practice to insure the integrity of the process 
     by which legislation is introduced in the House.

   3. Unanimous-Consent Requests for the Consideration of Legislation

       The policy the Chair announced on January 6, 1999, with 
     respect to recognition for unanimous-consent requests for the 
     consideration of certain legislative measures will continue 
     to apply in the 111th Congress. The Speaker will continue to 
     follow the guidelines recorded in section 956 of the House 
     Rules and Manual conferring recognition for unanimous-consent 
     requests for the consideration of bills, resolutions, and 
     other measures only when assured that the majority and 
     minority floor leadership and the relevant committee chairs 
     and ranking minority members have no objection. Consistent 
     with those guidelines, and with the Chair's inherent power of 
     recognition under clause 2 of rule XVII, the Chair, and any 
     occupant of the Chair appointed as Speaker pro tempore 
     pursuant to clause 8 of rule I, will decline recognition for 
     the unanimous-consent requests chronicled in section 956 
     without assurances that the request has been so cleared. This 
     denial of recognition by the Chair will not reflect 
     necessarily any personal opposition on the part of the Chair 
     to orderly consideration of the matter in question, but will 
     reflect the determination upon the part of the Chair that 
     orderly procedures will be followed; that is, procedures 
     involving consultation and agreement between floor and 
     committee leadership on both sides of the aisle.

                 4. Recognition for One-Minute Speeches

    ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER WITH RESPECT TO ONE-MINUTE SPEECHES

       The Speaker's policy announced on August 8, 1984, with 
     respect to recognition for one-minute speeches will apply 
     during the 111th Congress. The Chair will alternate 
     recognition for one-minute speeches between majority and 
     minority Members, in the order in which they seek recognition 
     in the well under present practice from the Chair's right to 
     the Chair's left, with possible exceptions for Members of the 
     leadership and Members having business requests. The Chair, 
     of course, reserves the right to limit one-minute speeches to 
     a certain period of time or to a special place in the program 
     on any given day, with notice to the leadership.

               5. Recognition for Special-Order Speeches

   ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER WITH RESPECT TO SPECIAL-ORDER SPEECHES

       The Speaker's policy with regard to special-order speeches 
     announced on February 11, 1994, as clarified and reiterated 
     by subsequent Speakers, will continue to apply in the 111th 
     Congress, with the following modifications.
       The Chair may recognize Members for special-order speeches 
     for up to 4 hours after the conclusion of 5-minute special-
     order speeches. Such speeches may not extend beyond the

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     4-hour limit without the permission of the Chair, which may 
     be granted only with advance consultation between the 
     leaderships and notification to the House. However, the Chair 
     will not recognize for any special-order speeches beyond 
     midnight.
       The Chair will first recognize Members for 5-minute 
     special-order speeches, alternating initially and 
     subsequently between the parties regardless of the date the 
     order was granted by the House. The Chair will then recognize 
     Members for longer special-order speeches. A Member 
     recognized for a 5-minute special-order speech may not be 
     recognized for a longer special-order speech. The 4-hour 
     limitation will be divided between the majority and minority 
     parties. Each party is entitled to reserve its first hour for 
     respective leaderships or their designees. Recognition for 
     periods longer than 5 minutes also will alternate initially 
     and subsequently between the parties each day.
       The allocation of time within each party's 2-hour period 
     (or shorter period if prorated to end by midnight) will be 
     determined by a list submitted to the Chair by the respective 
     leaderships. Members may not sign up with their leadership 
     for any special-order speeches earlier than 1 week prior to 
     the special order. Additional guidelines may be established 
     for such sign-ups by the respective leaderships.
       Pursuant to clause 2(a) of rule V, the television cameras 
     will not pan the Chamber, but a ``crawl'' indicating the 
     conduct of morning-hour debate or that the House has 
     completed its legislative business and is proceeding with 
     special-order speeches will appear on the screen. The Chair 
     may announce other adaptations during this period.
       The continuation of this format for recognition by the 
     Speaker is without prejudice to the Speaker's ultimate power 
     of recognition under clause 2 of rule XVII should 
     circumstances warrant.

                          6. Decorum in Debate

       The Chair's announced policies of January 7, 2003, January 
     4, 1995, and January 3, 1991, will apply in the 111th 
     Congress. It is essential that the dignity of the proceedings 
     of the House be preserved, not only to assure that the House 
     conducts its business in an orderly fashion but also to 
     permit Members to properly comprehend and participate in the 
     business of the House. To this end, and in order to permit 
     the Chair to understand and to correctly put the question on 
     the numerous requests that are made by Members, the Chair 
     requests that Members and others who have the privileges of 
     the floor desist from audible conversation in the Chamber 
     while the business of the House is being conducted. The Chair 
     would encourage all Members to review rule XVII to gain a 
     better understanding of the proper rules of decorum expected 
     of them, and especially: to avoid ``personalities'' in debate 
     with respect to references to other Members, the Senate, and 
     the President; to address the Chair while standing and only 
     during, and not beyond, the time recognized, and not to 
     address the television or other imagined audience; to refrain 
     from passing between the Chair and a Member speaking, or 
     directly in front of a Member speaking from the well; to 
     refrain from smoking in the Chamber; to wear appropriate 
     business attire in the Chamber; and to generally display the 
     same degree of respect to the Chair and other Members that 
     every Member is due.
       The Chair would like all Members to be on notice that the 
     Chair intends to strictly enforce time limitations on debate. 
     Furthermore, the Chair has the authority to immediately 
     interrupt Members in debate who transgress rule XVII by 
     failing to avoid ``personalities'' in debate with respect to 
     references to the Senate, the President, and other Members, 
     rather than wait for Members to complete their remarks.
       Finally, it is not in order to speak disrespectfully of the 
     Speaker; and under the precedents the sanctions for such 
     violations transcend the ordinary requirements for timeliness 
     of challenges. This separate treatment is recorded in volume 
     2 of Hinds' Precedents, at section 1248 and was reiterated on 
     January 19, 1995.

                7. Conduct of Votes by Electronic Device

       The Speaker's policy announced on January 4, 1995, with 
     respect to the conduct of electronic votes will continue in 
     the 111th Congress with modifications as follows.
       As Members are aware, clause 2(a) of rule XX provides that 
     Members shall have not less than 15 minutes in which to 
     answer an ordinary record vote or quorum call. The rule 
     obviously establishes 15 minutes as a minimum. Still, with 
     the cooperation of the Members, a vote can easily be 
     completed in that time. The events of October 30, 1991, stand 
     out as proof of this point. On that occasion, the House was 
     considering a bill in the Committee of the Whole under a 
     special rule that placed an overall time limit on the 
     amendment process, including the time consumed by record 
     votes. The Chair announced, and then strictly enforced, a 
     policy of closing electronic votes as soon as possible after 
     the guaranteed period of 15 minutes. Members appreciated and 
     cooperated with the Chair's enforcement of the policy on that 
     occasion.
       The Chair desires that the example of October 30, 1991, be 
     made the regular practice of the House. To that end, the 
     Chair enlists the assistance of all Members in avoiding the 
     unnecessary loss of time in conducting the business of the 
     House. The Chair encourages all Members to depart for the 
     Chamber promptly upon the appropriate bell and light signal. 
     As in recent Congresses, the cloakrooms should not forward to 
     the Chair requests to hold a vote by electronic device, but 
     should simply apprise inquiring Members of the time remaining 
     on the voting clock. Members should not rely on signals 
     relayed from outside the Chamber to assume that votes will be 
     held open until they arrive in the Chamber. Members will be 
     given a reasonable amount of time in which to accurately 
     record their votes. No occupant of the Chair would prevent a 
     Member who is in the well before the announcement of the 
     result from casting his or her vote. The Speaker believes the 
     best practice for presiding officers is to await the Clerk's 
     certification that a vote tally is complete and accurate.

                   8. Use of Handouts on House Floor

       The Speaker's policy announced on September 27, 1995, which 
     was prompted by a misuse of handouts on the House floor and 
     made at the bipartisan request of the Committee on Standards 
     of Official Conduct, will continue in the 111th Congress. All 
     handouts distributed on or adjacent to the House floor by 
     Members during House proceedings must bear the name of the 
     Member authorizing their distribution. In addition, the 
     content of those materials must comport with standards of 
     propriety applicable to words spoken in debate or inserted in 
     the Record. Failure to comply with this admonition may 
     constitute a breach of decorum and may give rise to a 
     question of privilege.
       The Chair would also remind Members that, pursuant to 
     clause 5 of rule IV, staff is prohibited from engaging in 
     efforts in the Hall of the House or rooms leading thereto to 
     influence Members with regard to the legislation being 
     amended. Staff cannot distribute handouts.
       In order to enhance the quality of debate in the House, the 
     Chair would ask Members to minimize the use of handouts.

             9. Use of Electronic Equipment on House Floor

       The Speaker's policy announced on January 27, 2000, as 
     modified by the change in clause 5 of rule XVII in the 108th 
     Congress, will continue in the 111th Congress. All Members 
     and staff are reminded of the absolute prohibition contained 
     in clause 5 of rule XVII against the use of a wireless 
     telephone or personal computer upon the floor of the House at 
     any time.
       The Chair requests all Members and staff wishing to receive 
     or make wireless telephone calls to do so outside of the 
     Chamber. The Chair further requests that all Members and 
     staff refrain from wearing telephone headsets in the Chamber 
     and to deactivate any audible ring of wireless phones before 
     entering the Chamber. To this end, the Chair insists upon the 
     cooperation of all Members and staff and instructs the 
     Sergeant-at-Arms, pursuant to clause 3(a) of rule II and 
     clause 5 of rule XVII, to enforce this prohibition.

                           10. Use of Chamber

       The Speaker will make the following announcement with 
     regard to use of the Chamber in the 111th Congress.
       The Chair will announce to the House the policy of the 
     Speaker concerning appropriate comportment in the chamber 
     when the House is not in session.
       Under clause 3 of rule I, the Speaker is responsible to 
     control the Hall of the House. Under clause 1 of rule IV, the 
     Hall of the House is to be used only for the legislative 
     business of the House, for caucus and conference meetings of 
     its Members, and for such ceremonies as the House might agree 
     to conduct there.
       When the House stands adjourned, its chamber remains on 
     static display. It may accommodate visitors in the gallery or 
     on the floor, subject to the needs of those who operate, 
     maintain, and secure the chamber to go about their ordinary 
     business. Because outside ``coverage'' of the chamber is 
     limited to floor proceedings and is allowed only by 
     accredited journalists, when the chamber is on static display 
     no audio and video recording or transmitting devices are 
     allowed. The long custom of disallowing even still 
     photography in the chamber is based at least in part on the 
     notion that an image having this setting as its backdrop 
     might be taken to carry the imprimatur of the House.
       The imprimatur of the House adheres to the Journal of its 
     proceedings, which is kept pursuant to the Constitution. The 
     imprimatur of the House adheres to the Congressional Record, 
     which is kept as a substantially verbatim transcript pursuant 
     to clause 8 of rule XVII. The imprimatur of the House adheres 
     to the audio and visual transmissions and recordings that are 
     made and kept by the television system administered by the 
     Speaker pursuant to rule V. But the imprimatur of the House 
     may not be appropriated to other, ad hoc accounts or 
     compositions of events in its chamber.
       There have been reports during a recent ``August recess'' 
     that the chamber was turned to inappropriate use by concerted 
     activity. Those reports included the solicitation of visitors 
     to fill seats on the floor to observe mock proceedings on the 
     floor, dissemination of bootleg ``coverage'' of these 
     proceedings over the internet, and lobbyist participation in 
     the speechmaking.
       Things of this sort should not recur. Members correctly 
     refer to this place as ``the people's House.'' It is, indeed, 
     the chamber of the people's House of Representatives. It is 
     for legislative deliberations and ceremonies. It is not for 
     political rallies. The Chair enlists the good judgment of all 
     Members to the end that this chamber be preserved as

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     the sanctuary of solemnity, deliberacy, and decorum that the 
     rules of the House ordain it to be.

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