III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 21 

To amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to provide procedures for 

extended debate. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 25 (legislative day, JANUARY 5), 2011 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself and Mr. UDALL of New Mexico) submitted the 

following resolution; which was ordered to lie over under the rule 

RESOLUTION 

To amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to provide 

procedures for extended debate. 

1 Resolved, 

2 SECTION 1. EXTENDED DEBATE. 

3 Paragraph 2 of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of 

4 the Senate is amended— 

5 (1) designating the first 3 undesignated para6 graphs as subparagraphs (a), (b), and (d), respec7 tively; 

8 (2) in subparagraph (d), as designated by para9 graph (1), by striking ‘‘Thereafter’’ and inserting 


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•SRES 21 IS 

1 ‘‘If the Senate agrees to bring debate to a close 

2 under paragraphs 2 or 3, thereafter’’; and 

3 (3) inserting after subparagraph (b), as des4 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 

5 ‘‘(c)(1) If the Senate has voted against closing debate 

6 on a measure, motion, or other matter under subpara7 graph (b), but a majority of senators present and voting 

8 have voted to bring debate to a close, then the procedures 

9 under this subparagraph shall be in order at any time, 

10 so long as that measure, motion or other matter has con11 tinued as the only pending business subsequent to the vote 

12 against closing debate. 

13 ‘‘(2) Under the circumstances described in clause (1), 

14 it shall be in order for the Majority Leader or his designee 

15 to move to bring debate on the pending measure, motion, 

16 or other matter to a close on the grounds that no Senator 

17 seeks recognition to debate the matter. Immediately after 

18 the motion is made and before putting the question there19 on, the Presiding Officer shall immediately inquire wheth20 er any Senator seeks recognition for the purpose of debat21 ing the measure, motion or other matter on which the Sen22 ate had previously voted against closing debate under sub23 paragraph (b). If a Senator seeks recognition for that pur24 pose, the Presiding Officer shall announce that the Senate 

25 is proceeding under extended debate, and shall recognize 


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•SRES 21 IS 

1 a Senator who seeks recognition for debate. After the Pre2 siding Officer’s announcement under the preceding sen3 tence the Senate shall continue to proceed under extended 

4 debate subject to the conditions provided in clause (3). 

5 Notwithstanding rule XIX, Senators may speak more than 

6 twice on a question during extended debate. 

7 ‘‘(3)(A) If the Senate enters into extended debate 

8 under this clause, no dilatory motions, motions to suspend 

9 any rule or any part thereof, nor dilatory quorum calls 

10 shall be entertained. 

11 ‘‘(B) If during extended debate the proceedings de12 scribed in either subclause (C), (D), or (E) occur and un13 less the Majority Leader or his designee withdraws the 

14 motion made under clause (2), the Senate shall proceed 

15 immediately to vote on that motion or to vote at a time 

16 designated by the Majority Leader or his designee within 

17 the next 4 calendar days of Senate session. When voted 

18 on, that motion shall be decided by a majority of Senators 

19 chosen and sworn. 

20 ‘‘(C) If, at any point during extended debate when 

21 no Senator is recognized, no Senator seeks recognition, the 

22 Presiding Officer shall renew the inquiry as to whether 

23 a Senator seeks recognition and shall recognize a Senator 

24 who seeks recognition for the purpose of debate. If no Sen25 ator then seeks recognition (or if no Senator sought recVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:06 Jan 26, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR21.IS SR21

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1 ognition in response to the Presiding Officer’s inquiry 

2 under clause (2)), the Senate shall dispose of the motion 

3 of the Majority Leader (or his designee) to bring debate 

4 to a close pursuant to clause (2), in the manner specified 

5 in subclause (B). 

6 ‘‘(D)(i) If, at any point during extended debate, a 

7 Senator raises a question of the presence of a quorum, 

8 the Presiding Officer shall renew the inquiry as to whether 

9 a Senator seeks recognition, and shall recognize a Senator 

10 who seeks recognition for debate. 

11 ‘‘(ii) If no Senator then seeks recognition for de12 bate— 

13 ‘‘(I) the Presiding Officer shall direct the Clerk 

14 to call the roll; 

15 ‘‘(II) upon the establishment of a quorum, the 

16 Senate shall dispose of the motion of the Majority 

17 Leader (or his designee) to bring debate to a close 

18 pursuant to clause (2) in the manner specified in 

19 subclause (B); and 

20 ‘‘(III) if the Senate adjourns for lack of a 

21 quorum and when the Senate next convenes and the 

22 morning hour or any period for morning business is 

23 expired or is deemed to be expired, the Senate shall 

24 dispose of the motion of the Majority Leader (or his 

25 designee) made to bring debate to a close pursuant 


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1 to clause (2) in the manner specified in subclause 

2 (B). 

3 ‘‘(E)(i) If, at any point during extended debate, a 

4 Senator having been recognized moves to adjourn, recess, 

5 postpone the pending matter, or proceed to other business, 

6 then unless the motion is made or seconded by the Major7 ity Leader or his designee, the Presiding Officer shall 

8 renew the inquiry as to whether a Senator seeks recogni9 tion, and shall recognize a Senator who seeks recognition 

10 for debate, and said motion shall be considered withdrawn. 

11 If no Senator then seeks recognition for debate, then the 

12 Presiding Officer shall immediately put the question on 

13 the motion offered, unless the vote is delayed as provided 

14 in item (ii). If the Senate agrees to a motion to adjourn 

15 or recess it shall resume consideration of the pending 

16 measure, motion or other matter pending at the time of 

17 adjournment or recess when it first takes up business after 

18 it next reconvenes, and the Senate shall still be in a period 

19 of extended debate. Upon the negative disposition of the 

20 motion to adjourn, recess, postpone, or proceed to other 

21 business, unless such motion was made by the majority 

22 leader or his designee, the Senate shall dispose of the mo23 tion of the Majority Leader (or his designee) to bring de24 bate to a close pursuant to clause (2) in the manner speci25 fied in subclause (B). 


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1 ‘‘(F) During a period of extended debate, the Major2 ity Leader or his designee may delay any vote until a des3 ignated time within the next 4 calendar days of Senate 

4 session, and any votes ordered or occurring thereafter 

5 shall likewise be delayed. 

6 ‘‘(4) If the motion of the Majority Leader to bring 

7 debate to a close pursuant to clause (3)(B) is agreed to 

8 by a majority of Senators chosen and sworn, the Presiding 

9 Officer shall announce that extended debate is ended and 

10 that the measure, motion, or other matter pending before 

11 the Senate shall be the unfinished business to the exclu12 sion of all other business until disposed of and further pro13 ceedings on the measure, motion or other matter shall 

14 occur in accordance with subparagraph (d). If the Major15 ity Leader withdraws the motion to bring debate to a close 

16 pursuant to clause (3)(B) or that motion is not agreed 

17 to by a majority of Senators chosen and sworn the Pre18 siding Officer shall announce that extended debate is 

19 ended. 

20 ‘‘(5) If extended debate on a measure, motion or 

21 other matter is ended under this subparagraph, other than 

22 by agreement to the motion made by the Majority Leader 

23 under clause (4), further consideration of the measure, 

24 motion or other matter shall occur as otherwise provided 

25 by the rules, except that if the Senate subsequently again 


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1 votes against closing debate under subparagraph (b), the 

2 procedures under this subparagraph shall apply.’’. 

Æ 


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