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unless otherwise ordered, was adopted at the 1st session of the 36th Congress, and was intended to facilitate the organization of the House. Previously, under the authority contained in the Manual, p. 64, and the usage of the House, the Clerk had presided over its deliberations while there was no Speaker, but simply put questions, and (where specially authorized) preserved order, not however undertaking to decide questions of order. (See MEETING OF CONGRESS.)

be approved by

of home produc

a statement of

penses.

ex

All contracts, bargains, or agreements, relative to the Contracts, &c., to furnishing any matter or thing, or for the performance of him. any labor for the House of Representatives, must be made with the Clerk, or approved by him, before any allowance shall be made therefor by the Committee of Accounts.Rule 21. And in making purchases for the House he is re- Purchases to be quired to confine his purchases exclusively to articles of the tion. growth and manufacture of the United States, provided the same can be procured on as good terms and of as suitable quality as foreign articles.-Stat. at Large, Vol. V, p. 681. The Clerk is required by law (Stat. at Large, Vol. V, pp. He shall furnish 25, 527) to lay before the House, at the commencement of contingent each session, a full and detailed statement of the expenditure of the contingent fund of the House; also (Stat. at Large, Vol. V, p. 525) a statement of the clerks and other persons also statement employed in the service of the House during the preceding ployed in service year. He is also required by a resolution of the House (Journal, 1, 27, p. 495) to report, at the commencement of each session, the quantity and cost of all the stationery used Also, statement by the House and the Clerk's office. He shall, also, as soon as may be, after the close of each session of Congress, prepare and publish a statement of all appropriations made dur- Also, statement ing the session; and also a statement of the new officers tions, new offices, created and the salaries of each, and also a statement of the offices the salaries of which are increased, and the amount of such increase.-Stat. at Large, Vol. V, p. 117.

of persons

of the House.

of stationery.

em

of appropria

&c.

tracts from Jour

He shall, on application, certify extracts from the Journal Shall certify exof the House of Representatives, and for such copies shall nal. receive the same fees as are allowed by law to the Secretary Fees. of State for similar services.-Stat. at Large, Vol. IX, p. 80. Authority to frank mail matter is conferred upon the Franking privi

lege.

May use books in Congressional Library.

Shall advertise

Clerk, to cover all correspondence to and from him, and all printed matter issued by authority of Congress, and all speeches, proceedings and debates in Congress, and all printed matter sent to him; his franking privilege to commence with the term for which he is elected and to expire on the 1st Monday of December following each term of office.—Stat. at Large, Vol. XII, pp. 708, 709.

He may, with permission of the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, have the use of the books in the Congressional Library, upon the same conditions as members of Congress. Stat. at Large, Vol. IV, p. 429.

He shall advertise for proposals for furnishing stationery for proposals for for the use of the House of Representatives.-Stat. at Large, Vol. V, pp. 526, 527.-(See STATIONERY.)

stationery.

Proposals for paper to be opened in presence of.

Shall transmit

and bills to Court of Claims.

By the joint resolutions of June 23, 1860, the Superintendent of Public Printing is required to open the proposals for paper in the presence of the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House.-Stat. at Large, Vol. XII, p. 119. (See PRINTING.)

By the Act of March 3, 1863, he is required to transmit to certain petitions the Court of Claims all petitions and bills praying or providing for the satisfaction of all private claims against the government, founded upon any law of Congress, or upon any regulation of an executive department, or upon any contract, express or implied, with the government, unless otherwise ordered by resolution of the House.-Stat. at Large, Vol. XII, p. 765.

Attests writs.

Enter petitions.

Delivers calls upon the President

The following duties are imposed upon the Clerk by the rules of the House, viz.:

He shall attest all writs, warrants, and subpoenas issued by order of the House.-Rule 8.

He shall enter upon the Journal, subject to the control and direction of the Speaker, such petitions and memorials as may be handed to him by members for reference.-Rule 131.

He shall cause to be delivered all propositions adopted by and heads of de- the House, requesting information from the President, or directing it to be furnished by the heads of departments.Rule 53. [His practice is to deliver in person all calls all calls upon

partments.

the President, and to transmit calls upon the departments by a messenger or through the mail.]

&c., to the House

Committee

on

He shall refer all drawings, maps, charts, or other papers, Shall refer maps, which may at any time come before the House for engraving, members of the lithographing, or publishing in any way, to the members of Printing. the Committee on Printing on the part of the House.-Rule 100.

of reports to be

of government.

He shall prepare and cause to be delivered to each mem- Shall prepare list ber, at the commencement of every session of Congress, a made by officers list of the reports which it is the duty of any officer or department of the government to make to Congress.-Rule 13.

of the Journal to

He shall, at the end of each session, send a printed copy Shall send copies of the Journals of the House to the executive, and to each States. branch of the legislature of every State.-Rule 14.

sions of questions

He shall note all questions of order, with the decision, and shall put deciput them together at the end of the Journal of every session. of order at end of -Rule 15.

-

Journal.

tices of bills.

He shall enter upon the Journal notices of bills which may shall enter nobe handed in by members.-Rule 15.

which pass.

He shall certify a bill that has passed, noting the day of Shall certify bills its passage at the foot thereof.-Rule 127.

House bills which pass.

certify House

pass both houses.

He shall sign all House bills which have passed the House. Shall sign all -Joint Rule 5. He shall enrol on parchment all House bills which shall shall enrol and have passed both houses.-Joint Rule 6. And shall certify bills, &c., which on the back of the roll that the bill originated in the House of Representatives.—Joint Rule 9. And all orders, resolutions, and votes which are to be presented to the President for his approbation, shall also, in the same manner, be previously enrolled, examined, and signed.-Joint Rule 10.

ments in com

He shall enter on a separate paper all amendments adopted Entry of amendin Committee of the Whole to a bill or report.-Rules 107, mittee. 109. [The 107th rule refers to manuscript bills, having been adopted prior to the practice of printing bills.]

Journal and in

within thirty

He shall, within thirty days after the close of each session shall distribute of Congress, cause to be completed the printing and primary dex to members distributions, to members and delegates, of the Journal of days after adthe House, together with an accurate index to the same. Rule 16.

journment.

Shall retain in He shall retain in the library of his office, for the use of

library two cop

ies of all public the members there, two copies of all the books and printed documents deposited in the library.—Rule 17.

documents.

Shall

preserve

one bound copy

He shall have preserved for each member of the House an of all documents extra copy, in good binding, of all the documents printed by order of either house at each session.-Rule 18.

for each member.

Shall

weekly state

on Speaker's

table.

make He shall make a weekly statement of the resolutions and ment of business bills upon the Speaker's table.-Rule 19. [This statement is printed and placed upon each member's table every MonWeekly state- day morning. There is, in like manner, placed upon their on calendar also tables, every Friday morning, a statement of all the bills and resolutions upon the calendar, designating whether in Committee of the Whole House or of the Whole House on the State of the Union.]

ment of bills, &c.,

prepared.

He numbers the sections of bills.

And also

The number prefixed to the section of a bill, being merely a marginal indication, and no part of the text of the bill, the Clerk regulates that.--Manual, p. 107. [He also gives numbills bers to the bills and joint resolutions as they are introduced or reported.]

and joint resolutions.

Messages (between the two houses) shall be sent by such persons as a sense of propriety in each house may determine He conveys mes- to be proper.-Joint Rule 4. [All messages from the House to the Senate are conveyed by the Clerk or one of his assistants.]

sages to the Sen

ate.

Clerk.

Other duties of In addition to the foregoing, there are various other duties appertaining to the office of Clerk, under the usage and practice of the House, which are discharged by himself and his appointees.

Prepares

mates and
burses
gent fund.

dis

esti- He prepares estimates of the expenses of the House of contin- Representatives and disburses the contingent fund of the House, keeping accounts with the treasury of the United States of the various items of appropriation for that object. He also disburses the salary fund of the various officers and employés of the House.

Pays salaries.

Keeps Journal.

He keeps the minutes of proceedings in the House, and makes out, subject to the control of the Speaker, the Journal of said proceedings, in readiness for the same to be read at the next meeting of the House. He also prepares the index to the Journal at the end of each session.

minutes

of Committees of

He keeps the minutes of proceedings in Committees of the Keeps Whole; records all votes taken by yeas and nays, and pre- the Whole. pares copies of the same for the printer of the Journal.

He reads all messages, bills, and other papers required by Reads. the House to be read, and calls the roll of members.

He keeps the files of the House, preserving all petitions and Keeps the files. other papers belonging to its archives, arranged alphabetically,

and under the head of the Congress at which they were last

acted upon.

He keeps a book in which are entered, numerically, the Keeps bill book. titles of all bills and joint resolutions; opposite which are entered, as they occur, all proceedings of the House thereon; also all proceedings of the Senate as they are reported to the House.

ordered to be printed, &c.,

He places appropriate endorsements upon all papers pre- Papers sented in the House, and after entering the same in books endorsed, &c. kept for the purpose, sends to the Superintendent of Public Printing all such as are ordered to be printed, and to the appropriate committee such as are referred without printing. He engrosses upon paper all bills, joint resolutions, and Engrosses bills resolutions of the House, and amendments of the House to Senate bills and joint resolutions which pass the House of Representatives, certifying the date of the passage of the same at the foot thereof.

and resolutions.

resolutions.

He enrols upon parchment all House bills and joint reso- Enrols bills and lutions which have passed both houses, certifying upon the back that the same originated in the House, and then delivers them to the Committee on Enrolled Bills.

red under rule.

He journalizes all petitions and other papers handed to Petitions referhim under the 131st rule, and having endorsed them appropriately, takes them to the rooms of the proper committees and there enters them in the committee books. He also keeps what is called the "Petition Book," in which is entered, alphabetically, each petition as presented, and the further action of the House thereon as it occurs.

He keeps what is called the "Newspaper Book," in which Newspapers. are entered the accounts of members under the newspaper resolution, and orders from the publishers such newspapers or periodicals as may be directed.

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