§ 688. — Procedure in House of Representatives and Senate.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 2USC688]
TITLE 2--THE CONGRESS
CHAPTER 17B--IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL AND LINE ITEM VETO
SUBCHAPTER II--CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED RESCISSIONS,
RESERVATIONS, AND DEFERRALS OF BUDGET AUTHORITY
Sec. 688. Procedure in House of Representatives and Senate
(a) Referral
Any rescission bill introduced with respect to a special message or
impoundment resolution introduced with respect to a proposed deferral of
budget authority shall be referred to the appropriate committee of the
House of Representatives or the Senate, as the case may be.
(b) Discharge of committee
(1) If the committee to which a rescission bill or impoundment
resolution has been referred has not reported it at the end of 25
calendar days of continuous session of the Congress after its
introduction, it is in order to move either to discharge the committee
from further consideration of the bill or resolution or to discharge the
committee from further consideration of any other rescission bill with
respect to the same special message or impoundment resolution with
respect to the same proposed deferral, as the case may be, which has
been referred to the committee.
(2) A motion to discharge may be made only by an individual favoring
the bill or resolution, may be made only if supported by one-fifth of
the Members of the House involved (a quorum being present), and is
highly privileged in the House and privileged in the Senate (except that
it may not be made after the committee has reported a bill or resolution
with respect to the same special message or the same proposed deferral,
as the case may be); and debate thereon shall be limited to not more
than 1 hour, the time to be divided in the House equally between those
favoring and those opposing the bill or resolution, and to be divided in
the Senate equally between, and controlled by, the majority leader and
the minority leader or their designees. An amendment to the motion is
not in order, and it is not in order to move to reconsider the vote by
which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to.
(c) Floor consideration in House
(1) When the committee of the House of Representatives has reported,
or has been discharged from further consideration of, a rescission bill
or impoundment resolution, it shall at any time thereafter be in order
(even though a previous motion to the same effect has been disagreed to)
to move to proceed to the consideration of the bill or resolution. The
motion shall be highly privileged and not debatable. An amendment to the
motion shall not be in order, nor shall it be in order to move to
reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to.
(2) Debate on a rescission bill or impoundment resolution shall be
limited to not more than 2 hours, which shall be divided equally between
those favoring and those opposing the bill or resolution. A motion
further to limit debate shall not be debatable. In the case of an
impoundment resolution, no amendment to, or motion to recommit, the
resolution shall be in order. It shall not be in order to move to
reconsider the vote by which a rescission bill or impoundment resolution
is agreed to or disagreed to.
(3) Motions to postpone, made with respect to the consideration of a
rescission bill or impoundment resolution, and motions to proceed to the
consideration of other business, shall be decided without debate.
(4) All appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating to the
application of the Rules of the House of Representatives to the
procedure relating to any rescission bill or impoundment resolution
shall be decided without debate.
(5) Except to the extent specifically provided in the preceding
provisions of this subsection, consideration of any rescission bill or
impoundment resolution and amendments thereto (or any conference report
thereon) shall be governed by the Rules of the House of Representatives
applicable to other bills and resolutions, amendments, and conference
reports in similar circumstances.
(d) Floor consideration in Senate
(1) Debate in the Senate on any rescission bill or impoundment
resolution, and all amendments thereto (in the case of a rescission
bill) and debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall
be limited to not more than 10 hours. The time shall be equally divided
between, and controlled by, the majority leader and the minority leader
or their designees.
(2) Debate in the Senate on any amendment to a rescission bill shall
be limited to 2 hours, to be equally divided between, and controlled by,
the mover and the manager of the bill. Debate on any amendment to an
amendment, to such a bill, and debate on any debatable motion or appeal
in connection with such a bill or an impoundment resolution shall be
limited to 1 hour, to be equally divided between, and controlled by, the
mover and the manager of the bill or resolution, except that in the
event the manager of the bill or resolution is in favor of any such
amendment, motion, or appeal, the time in opposition thereto, shall be
controlled by the minority leader or his designee. No amendment that is
not germane to the provisions of a rescission bill shall be received.
Such leaders, or either of them, may, from the time under their control
on the passage of a rescission bill or impoundment resolution, allot
additional time to any Senator during the consideration of any
amendment, debatable motion, or appeal.
(3) A motion to further limit debate is not debatable. In the case
of a rescission bill, a motion to recommit (except a motion to recommit
with instructions to report back within a specified number of days, not
to exceed 3, not counting any day on which the Senate is not in session)
is not in order. Debate on any such motion to recommit shall be limited
to one hour, to be equally divided between, and controlled by, the mover
and the manager of the concurrent resolution. In the case of an
impoundment resolution, no amendment or motion to recommit is in order.
(4) The conference report on any rescission bill shall be in order
in the Senate at any time after the third day (excluding Saturdays,
Sundays, and legal holidays) following the day on which such a
conference report is reported and is available to Members of the Senate.
A motion to proceed to the consideration of the conference report may be
made even though a previous motion to the same effect has been disagreed
to.
(5) During the consideration in the Senate of the conference report
on any rescission bill, debate shall be limited to 2 hours to be equally
divided between, and controlled by, the majority leader and minority
leader or their designees. Debate on any debatable motion or appeal
related to the conference report shall be limited to 30 minutes, to be
equally divided between, and controlled by, the mover and the manager of
the conference report.
(6) Should the conference report be defeated, debate on any request
for a new conference and the appointment of conferees shall be limited
to one hour, to be equally divided between, and controlled by, the
manager of the conference report and the minority leader or his
designee, and should any motion be made to instruct the conferees before
the conferees are named, debate on such motion shall be limited to 30
minutes, to be equally divided between, and controlled by, the mover and
the manager of the conference report. Debate on any amendment to any
such instructions shall be limited to 20 minutes, to be equally divided
between, and controlled by, the mover and the manager of the conference
report. In all cases when the manager of the conference report is in
favor of any motion, appeal, or amendment, the time in opposition shall
be under the control of the minority leader or his designee.
(7) In any case in which there are amendments in disagreement, time
on each amendment shall be limited to 30 minutes, to be equally divided
between, and controlled by, the manager of the conference report and the
minority leader or his designee. No amendment that is not germane to the
provisions of such amendments shall be received.
(Pub. L. 93-344, title X, Sec. 1017, July 12, 1974, 88 Stat. 337.)
Codification
Section was formerly classified to section 1407 of Title 31 prior to
the general revision and enactment of Title 31, Money and Finance, by
Pub. L. 97-258, Sec. 1, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 877.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 682 of this title; title 22
section 3224a; title 45 sections 721, 726.
