be immediately taken: Provided, The members of the House shall first have been furnished with printed copies of the bill so amended,* unless a motion to postpone or refer shall be made.† When less than a Quorum Vote, Bar of the House to be Closed. 57. When less than a quorum vote on any subject under the consideration of the House, it shall be the duty of the Speaker forthwith to order the bar of the House to be closed, and that the roll of members be called by the clerk, and if it is ascertained that a quorum is present, either by answering to their names or by their presence in the House, the yeas and nays shall again be ordered by the Speaker, and if any member present refuses to vote, such refusal shall be deemed a contempt; and, unless purged, the Speaker shall order the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove said member or members without the bar of the House, and all privilege of membership shall be refused the person or persons so offending, until the contempt to be duly purged.‡ Bills Returned by the Governor Vetoed. 58. All veto messages, upon being announced by the Speaker, shall be read and the reconsideration of the bill proceeded with.§ Adjournment. 59. That the House will adjourn on every Friday at twelve o'clock, noon, in the months of January, February, and March, and until the succeeding Mon *Changed session of 1874. + Changed January 10, 1842. day, at half past seven o'clock, P. M.: Provided, That the House, on Friday, shall meet at ten o'clock, a. M.:* Provided also, That the House shall adjourn at or before ten o'clock, P. M., on Monday.† Peddling within the Bar of the House Prohibited. 60. No person shall be permitted to hawk, peddle, or offer for sale any apples, candies, nuts, or other articles of traffic at any time within the Hall of the House; and it shall be the duty of the Sergeant-atArms and the Door-keeper to strictly enforce this rule. Members not Permitted to Record Votes iu Certain Cases. 61. That no member shall be permitted to record his vote who neglects to vote when his name is first called by the Clerk, if he is within the Hall of the House when his name is called; and if he is without of the Hall of the House when his name is called, he shall not be permitted to record his vote.§ When Committees may be Discharged from Consideration of a Bill. 62. That after a bill has been ten days in the hands of a committee, after having been referred to them, a majority of votes shall be sufficient to discharge the committee from the further consideration of the same:§ Provided, That if they are ready to report, it shall not be so discharged.|| Lounging Prohibited in the Hall. 63. That it shall be the duty of the Sergeant-at * Changed session of 1877. Changed sessions of 1866-1877. Changed session of 1874. Arms, Door-keeper, and their assistants, to prevent all persons not connected with the Legislature or the Deparments, or introduced by a member, from assembling in the halls at any time when the body is not in session, for the purpose of lounging, loating, or gossiping. For the purpose of enforcing this rule, at least two of said officers shall be in attendance at all times, and the persistent neglect or disregard of this rule shall be cause of dismissal by the Speaker.* Final Adjournment. 64. That a joint resolution providing for the final adjournment of the Legislature may be read and laid on the table, and, after laying on the table one day, may be called up by a member as a question of privilege.† Reports of Conference Committees. 65. Reports of conference committees shall be presented, printed, and placed upon the files of amended bills, before the same shall be considered.‡ Appropriations. 66. No bill appropriating money to any charitable or private corporation, or institution, shall be reported to the House before the general appropriation bills shall have been reported and printed for consideration.§ *Adopted session of 1869. † Adopted session of 1874. § Adopted session of 1875. Decisions of the House of Representatives on Questions of Order. Quere.-Can a majority of the House appropriate an afternoon session to the consideration of a bill, which could not be reached in regular order, or does it require two thirds? Undecided.-Journal 1826–7, p. 351. After information has been given to the Senate, that the House insists upon its non-concurrence in an amendment by the Senate, a motion to recede from the non-concurrence is not in order.*-Journal H. R., 1827-8, p. 781. The same principle is decided in Journal, 1816–7, .p. 708. The proceedings of the House cannot be expunged from the Journal, under the Constitution and uniform practice of the House, without the unanimous consent of the members present.-Journal H. R., .1832-3, p. 728. The Speaker decided, and the House sustained the decision, that a question on a resolution for dispensing with joint rule relating to the transmission of bills, having been laid one day on the table, under the twenty-sixth rule of the House, is decided in the affirmative by a majority of the votes of the members present.-Journal H. R., 1833–4, p. 816. The Speaker decided, and the House sustained the *In this case a committee of conference was appointed, and reported that they could not agree. decision, that he is not confined by any rule of the House to appoint a committee of conference exclusively from the members who voted for or against a concurrence.-Journal H. R., 1840, p. 529. The Speaker submitted to the House for decision: Is the motion to discharge the committee of conference, and recede from its non-concurrence in order? The House decided in the negative.-Journal H. R., 1840, p. 360. The Speaker submitted to the House for decision: Whether a motion to reconsider the vote given for the explusion of a member by the constitutional majority, and his seat declared vacated, is in order? The House decided in the affirmative.-Journal H. R., 1840, pp. 859-61. The Speaker decided that the House having, on yesterday, adopted a resolution by a vote of two thirds, that it would proceed to the reconsideration of a certain bill when it met the next morning, the bill is therefore in order. The House sustained the decision.-Journal H. R., 1840, pp. 946-50. The Speaker decided that a call for the previous question is in order during the pendency of an appeal from the decision of the Speaker. The House sustained the decision.-Journal H. R., 1840, pp. 946-8. A motion was made to proceed to the consideration of Senate amendments to the bill entitled "An act to repeal certain acts in relation to the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad Company;" whereupon the Speaker submitted to the House, for decision, whether the motion could be entertained, inasmuch as the House had previously, on the same day, refused to consider said amendments, though other business |