[110th Congress House Rules Manual -- House Document No. 109-157]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office Online Database]
[DOCID:hruletx-43]                         

[Page 259]
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                        sec. xxxix--the question

<<NOTE: Sec. 489. Putting the question.>>   The question is to be put 
first on the affirmative, and then on the
negative side.

  Clause 6 of rule I provides more fully for putting the question.

  After the <<NOTE: Sec. 490. Effect of putting the question in ending 
debate.>> Speaker has put the affirmative part of the question, any 
Member who has not spoken before to the question may rise and speak 
before the negative be put; because it is no full question till the 
negative part be put. Scob., 23; 2 Hats., 73.

  After the Chair has put the affirmative part of the question, any 
Member who seeks to debate the matter or offer a motion may be 
recognized (V, 5925; June 22, 2006, p. ----), and such recognition is 
not subject to appeal (June 22, 2006, p. ----). On one occasion, the 
Chair refused to entertain a motion to lay on the table after putting 
the affirmative part of the pending question where the Chair had 
affirmed the admissibility of that motion before putting the main 
question, and that motion nevertheless was not then offered (Sept. 20, 
1979, p. 25512). Where not pertinent to the pending parliamentary 
situation, a parliamentary inquiry regarding whether the Chair heard the 
ayes on a prematurely-commenced vote by voice was not entertained (June 
22, 2006, p. ----).

  But in <<NOTE: Sec. 491. Informal putting of the question.>> small 
matters, and which are of course, such as receiving petitions, reports, 
withdrawing motions, reading papers, &c., the Speaker most commonly 
supposes the consent of the House where no objection is expressed, and 
does not give them the trouble of putting the question formally. Scob., 
22; 2 Hats., 79, 2, 87; 5 Grey, 129; 9 Grey, 301.