What Procedures Congress Follows
Under the United States Constitution, each
chamber of Congress is to provide for its own regulations and rules regarding
the proceedings that are to be conducted in each House. Therefore, the House of Representatives and the Senate
engage in the following:
● Offering of the prayer by the Chaplain
of the House
● The reading and approval of the
legislative journal
● The Pledge of Allegiance
● Corrections to public bills
● Business
that is pending on the Speaker of the House’s table
● Unfinished
or pending business
● Consideration of any new bills
that are to be introduced by the committees of the House of Representatives
● State of the Union
● Orders of the Day.
In regards to the passing of bills, there are
certain regulations that may have to be considered that may differ from the
original list of priorities. It is important to note that any Congressman
of the House of Representatives can introduce a bill at any time that the
House is session. The Congressman can place a copy of the bill in
the “hopper” that is placed next to the Clerk of the House’s desk.
This Congressman
must provide for a signed copy of the bill, which may be co-sponsored by other Congressmen.
The bill is then assigned a legislative number by the Clerk and added to the
journal as well as the Congressional Record. The bill will then referred to the
appropriate committee that has jurisdiction over that particular matter or
issue.