Number: RS22991
Title: Speaking on the House Floor: Gaining Time and Parliamentary Phraseology
Authors: Elizabeth Rybicki, Government and Finance Division 
Abstract: House rules and precedents structure Members' opportunities to speak on the floor about pending legislation. Under some circumstances, Members arrange to speak on legislation by communicating with the leaders of the committee that reported the bill. Sometimes the arrangements can be made on the floor during the debate, and at other times they are made prior to floor consideration. The committee leaders from both sides of the aisle manage the consideration of a bill on the floor, under what is known as controlled time, by allocating the debate time among several Members. In certain other procedural circumstances, most often when the House is amending legislation under an "open" special rule, legislators instead seek recognition to speak, usually for up to five minutes, directly from the presiding officer. A Member who has been recognized can yield to another during debate, but continues to hold the floor; and the time used by the Member yielded to is taken from the time allocated to the Member holding the floor.
Pages: 6
Date: November 26, 2008