[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 107th Congress] [107th Congress] [House Document 106-320] [Rules of the House of Representatives] [Pages 378-389] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov] Rule VI Official reporters official reporters and news media galleries
Sec. 685. Reporters of debates and committee stenographers. | 1. Subject to the direction and control of the Speaker, the Clerk shall appoint, and may remove for cause, the official reporters of the House, including stenographers of committees, and shall supervise the execution of their duties. |
Sec. 686. Rules relating to Congressional Record. | The arrangement, style, etc., of the Congressional Record is prescribed by the Joint Committee on Printing pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 901, 904 (see also VIII, 3500). The rules of the Joint Committee on Printing governing publication of the Congressional Record are as follows: |
Sec. 687. Substantially verbatim account. | The requirement of rule 7 of the supplemental rules outlined above that the Congressional Record be a substantially verbatim account of remarks actually rendered was included as former clause 9 of rule XIV in the 104th Congress (current clause 8(a) of rule XVII), with the prescription that that rule constitute a standard of conduct under former clause 4(e)(1)(B) of rule X (current clause 3(a)(2) of rule XI) (sec. 213, H. Res. 6, Jan. 4, 1995, p. 468). Clause 8(a) of rule XVII also applies to statements and rulings of the Chair (Jan. 20, 1995, p. 1866). Under that clause remarks actually delivered may not be deleted and remarks inserted must appear in distinctive type (Jan. 4, 1995, p. 541). The Speaker has instructed the Official Reporters of Debates to adhere strictly to the requirement of rule 7 of the supplemental rules (Mar. 2, 1988, p. 2963; Feb. 3, 1993, p. 1980). The Chair announced the Record-printing policy regarding remarks in debate uttered in languages other than English, to deny transcription in the foreign language (unless a transcript is provided in a language that the Government Printing Office |
Sec. 688. Relations of the Committee of the Whole to the Congressional Record. | As a general rule the Committee of the Whole has no control over the Congressional Record (V, 6986); but the Chairman in the preservation of order, may direct the exclusion of disorderly words spoken by a Member after he has been called to order (V, 6987). In a case wherein the Committee conceived that a letter read in Committee involved a breach of privilege, it reported the matter to the House for action, and the House struck the letter from the Record (V, 6986). The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole does not determine the privileges of a Member under a general leave to print in the Record, that being for the House alone (V, 6988). Neither may the Committee of the Whole grant a general leave to print, although for convenience it does permit individual Members to extend their remarks (V, 7009, 7010; VIII, 3488- 3490; Aug. 31, 1965, p. 22385), nor may the Committee of the Whole permit the inclusion of extraneous material (Jan. 23, 1936, p. 950; Feb. 1, 1937, p. 656; Sept. 19, 1967, p. 26032). |
Sec. 689. Correction of the Congressional Record. | While the House controls the Congressional Record, the Speaker with the assent of the House laid down the principle that words spoken by a Member in order might not be changed by the House, as this would be determining what a Member should utter on the floor (V, 6974; VI, 583; VIII, 3469, 3498). Neither should one House strike out matter placed in the Record by permission of the other House (V, 6966). But the House may correct the speech of one of its Members so that it may record faithfully what he actually said (V, 6972). Where a Member interrupts another during debate without being yielded or otherwise recognized (as on a point of order) his remarks are not printed in the Record (Speaker O'Neill, Feb. 7, 1985, p. 2229). Where a Member had uttered disorderly words on the |
Sec. 690. Privileges of propositions to correct the Congressional Record. | A motion or resolution for the correction of the Congressional Record which involves a question of privilege may be made properly after the reading and approval of the Journal (V, 7013; VIII, 3496), and is not in order pending the approval of the Journal (V, 6989), but is privileged after that (V, 7014-7019; VIII, 3461, 3463). |
Sec. 691. Privilege of Member to revise his remarks in the Congressional Record. | The traditional practice to allow a Member, with the approval of the House and under conditions set forth by the Joint Committee on Printing, to revise his remarks before publication in the Congressional Record (V, 6971, 7024; VIII, 3500) should be interpreted in light of clause 8 of rule XVII and rule 7 of the supplemental rules of the Joint Committee on Printing, which require the Record to be a substantially verbatim account of remarks made during House proceedings (see Sec. 686, supra, and Sec. Sec. 967, 968, infra). In any event, a Member should not change the notes of his own speech in such a way as to affect the remarks of an opponent in controversy without bringing the correction to the attention of that Member (V, 6972; VIII, 3461), and alterations which place a different aspect on the remarks of a colleague require authorization by the House (VIII, 3463, 3497). Where a Member so revised his remarks as to |
Sec. 692. ``Leave to print'' in the Congressional Record. | The practice of inserting in the Congressional Record speeches not actually delivered on the floor has developed by consent of the House as the membership has increased and it has become difficult at times for every Member to express at length on the floor his reasons for his attitude on public questions (V, 6990-6996, 6998-7000). The House, in granting such leave to print, does not permit it to be exercised without unreasonable freedom (V, 7002, 7003). For example: (1) a Member with permission to insert one matter may not insert another (V, 7001; VIII, 3462, 3479, 3480); (2) a Member may not insert statements and letters of others unless the leave granted specifies such matter as extraneous (VIII, 3475, 3481), whether the extension be under general leave for all Members or individually; (3) a Member may not insert that which would not have been in order if uttered on the floor, and the House may exclude such insertion in whole or in part (V, 7004-7008; VIII, 3495; Oct. 2, 1992, p. 30709; Sept. 27, 1996, p. 25633). The principle that a Member shall not be called to order for words spoken in debate if business has intervened does not apply to a case where leave to print has been violated (V, 7005). Neither the House nor the Committee of the Whole permit the insertion of an entire colloquy between two or more Members not actually delivered (Aug. 10, 1982, pp. 20266, 20267; Oct. 3, 1985, p. 26028; Dec. 15, 1995, p. 37133). |
Sec. 693. Unofficial reporters in the press gallery and on the floor. | 2. A portion of the gallery over the Speaker's chair as may be necessary to accommodate representatives of the press wishing to report debates and proceedings shall be set aside for their use. Rep |
Sec. 694. Unofficial reporters in the radio gallery and on the floor. | 3. A portion of the gallery as may be necessary to accommodate reporters of news to be disseminated by radio, television, and similar means of transmission, wishing to report debates and proceedings, shall be set aside for their use. Reputable reporters and correspondents shall be admitted thereto under such regulations as the Speaker may prescribe. The Executive Com |