A resolution to amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to reform the filibuster rules to improve the daily process of the Senate.

Bill: 112-sres-12
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Mark [D-CO]
Introduced: 2011-01-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Congressional committees
Federal officials
Legislative rules and procedure
Senate

Summary:
action_date: 2011-01-05
text: 
Amends Rule XXII (Precedence of Motions) of the Standing Rules of the Senate to require an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Senators present and voting (instead of, as currently, chosen and sworn) for passage of a motion to close debate (cloture) on all matters except motions or measures to amend the Standing Rules.
 
Amends Rule VIII (Order of Business) to repeal the rule that motions: (1) made during the first two hours of a new legislative day to proceed to consideration of any matter be determined without debate; or (2) made after the two-hour period be subject to debate.
 
Limits a motion to proceed to consideration of any matter, and any related debatable motion or appeal, to four hours, equally divided between, and controlled by, the Majority and Minority Leaders or their designees. Exempts from such restriction on debate a motion to: (1) proceed to a proposal to change the Standing Rules (as in the current Rule); or (2) go into executive session to consider a specified item of executive business and a motion to proceed to consider any privileged matter.
 
Amends Rule XXII to state that, if a complete substitute amendment for a measure is agreed to after consideration under cloture, the Senate shall proceed to a final disposition of the measure without intervening action or debate (filibuster) except one quorum call if requested.
 
Amends Rule XXVIII (Conference Committees; Reports; Open Meetings) to establish a new motion by which the Majority Leader can combine three existing motions necessary to go to conference. Subjects this motion to a four-hour debate limit, to be evenly divided and controlled by the Majority and Minority Leaders or their designees. Declares such a motion neither divisible nor subject to amendment.
 
Amends Rule XXII to require the Presiding Officer, 24 hours after the filing of a cloture motion (currently, one hour after the Senate meets, after two days of Senate session), to lay it before the Senate.
 
Requires any proposed amendment in the first degree, except by unanimous consent, to be filed within 12 hours after the filing of a cloture motion (currently, by 1 o'clock p.m. on the day following the filing of the cloture motion).
 
Requires the maximum 30 hours of consideration of a matter on which cloture has been invoked (postcloture) to be equally divided between the Majority and Minority.
 
Requires the Senate to proceed immediately to vote on final disposition of a nomination upon invoking cloture on it. (Thus eliminates postcloture debate time on nominations.)
 
Amends Rule XXVI (Committee Procedure) to repeal the requirement that, when the Senate is in session, the Majority and the Minority Leader must consent to any committee or subcommittee meetings that occur after the Senate has been session for two hours or after 2:00pm. (Thus allows the committees to meet without consent.)
 
Amends Rule XV (Amendments and Motions) to permit waiver of the reading of an amendment by a nondebatable motion if the amendment has been printed in the Congressional Record and available for at least 24 hours before the motion.
 
Makes it in order to offer a nondebatable motion to set aside any pending amendments in order to offer another germane amendment. Restricts in any calendar day: (1) a Senator to one such motion; and (2) Senate consideration to no more than five such motions.
 
Makes it in order to offer a debatable motion to waive this germaneness requirement.
 
Requires: (1) three-fifths (60) of the Senators chosen and sworn to agree to a waiver; and (2) an affirmative vote of three-fifths (60) of the Senators chosen and sworn to sustain an appeal of a ruling by the chair on a point of order raised under this Rule.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-01-05
text: Referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. (text of measure as introduced: CR S66-67)
action_date: 2011-01-05
text: Introduced in Senate