[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 112th Congress] [112nd Congress] [House Document 111-157] [Rules of the House of Representatives] [Pages 374-379] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov] Rule III Voting the members, delegates, and resident commissioner of puerto rico
671. Personal interest. | 1. Every Member shall be present within the Hall of the House during its sittings, unless excused or necessarily prevented, and shall vote on each question put, unless having a direct personal or pecuniary interest in the event of such question. |
Sec. 672. Control of a Member's own vote. | It has been found impracticable to enforce the provision requiring every Member to vote (V, 5942-5948), and such question, even if entertained, may not interrupt a pending record vote (V, 5947). The weight of authority also favors the idea that there is no authority in the House to deprive a Member of the right to vote (V, 5937, 5952, 5959, 5966, 5967; VIII, 3072). In one or two early instances the Speaker decided that because of personal interest, a Member should not vote (V, 5955, 5958); but on all other occasions and in the later practice the Speaker has held that the Member and not the Chair should determine this question (V, 5950, 5951; VIII, 3071; Speaker Albert, Dec. 2, 1975, p. 38135; Speaker O'Neill, Mar. 1, 1979, p. 3748; July 30, 1996, p. 19952; July 16, 2009, p. _), and the Speaker has denied the Speaker's own power to deprive a Member of the constitutional right to vote (V, 5956; Speaker Albert, Dec. 2, 1975, p. 38135; Speaker O'Neill, Mar. 1, 1979, p. 3748). |
Sec. 673. Nature of disqualifying personal interest. | It is a principle of ``immemorial observance'' that a Member should withdraw when a question concerning that Member arises (V, 5949); but it has been held that the disqualifying interest must be such as affects the Member directly (V, 5954, 5955, 5963), and not as one of a class (V, 5952; VIII, 3071, 3072; Speaker Bankhead, May 31, 1939, p. 6359; Speaker Albert, Dec. 2, 1975, p. 38135). In a case in which question affected the titles of several Members to their seats, each refrained from voting in his own case, but did vote on the identical cases of his associates (V, 5957, 5958). A Member should not vote on direct questions affecting that Member, but has sometimes voted on incidental questions (V, 5960, 5961). |
Sec. 674. Voting. | 2. (a) A Member may not authorize any other person to cast the vote of such Member or record the presence of such Member in the House or the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union. |
675. Committee service. | 3. (a) Each Delegate and the Resident Commissioner shall be elected to serve on standing committees in the same manner as Members and shall possess in such committees the same powers and privileges as the other members of the committee. |
Sec. 676. Appointment to select and conference committees. | (b) The Delegates and the Resident Commissioner may be appointed to any select committee and to any conference committee. |