Motion to Lay on the Table.—The motion to lay on the table is in effect a motion to suspend consideration of the question and if agreed to, also suspends consideration of all pending questions relating to the motion to which applied until such time as the assembly may determine to take it from the table for further consideration. The motion is not debatable and may not be amended, postponed, committed, divided or reconsidered.
Motion for the Previous Question.—The purpose of the mo tion for the previous question is to close debate peremptorily and bring the assembly to an immediate vote on the pending question. It may be ordered on a single question, a group of questions or any part of a pending question, as on an amendment. It pre cludes both debate and amendment and requires a majority vote only for passage. It yields to the motion to table, to the question of consideration and to privileged and incidental motions and may be reconsidered, but takes precedence of motions to post pone, amend and commit.
Motion to Close or Extend Debate.—The motion is not ad mitted in either house of the U.S. Congress when not sitting as committee of the whole but is in order under general parlia mentary law and in so far as applicable is subject to the rules governing the previous question.
Motion to Postpone to a Day Certain.—This applies to the main motion and its pending amendments and is debatable only as to the advisability of the postponement proposed, and does not open to debate the subject matter of the motion to which applied. It is subject to amendment and reconsideration, to privileged and incidental motions, to motions for the previous question and to lay on the table but has precedence of all other subsidiary motions.
Motion to Commit, Recommit and Refer.—The motions to commit, recommit and refer are practically equivalent and pro vide for reference of the pending proposition to a committee. While the motion to recommit ordinarily applies to the whole subject including pending amendments, it may apply to certain features only. It may be amended as by adding instructions to the committee as to time and manner of report. Debate on the motion is limited to the question of reference and instructions. It takes precedence of motions to amend and indefinitely post pone but yields to other subsidiary motions and to all incidental and privileged motions. It may be tabled or postponed with the
main question but no subsidiary motions except the motions to amend and for the previous question may be applied separately. It is subject to reconsideration at any time before the committee begins consideration of the question submitted to it but after that time the subject matter may only be reclaimed by a motion to discharge the committee.
Motion to Amend.—Changes in the text or terms of the prop osition require a second and must be reduced to writing if re quested by the chairman. There is no limit to the number of amendments which may be proposed and new amendments may be offered as rapidly as the pending amendment is disposed of. Amendments in the second degree, that is, amendments to amend ments, are admissible but amendments in the third degree, that is amendments to amendments to amendments, are not in order. Only four amendments in the first and second degrees may be pending simultaneously, as follows : (a) amendment, (b) amend ment to the amendment, (c) substitute for the amendment (i.e., when it is desired to replace the entire pending amendment) and (d) amendment to the substitute. The amendment must, of course, be offered first and the substitute before the amendment to the substitute, but otherwise there is no rule governing the order in which the four amendments may be presented. They must, however, be voted on in the following order : First, amend ments to the amendment ; second, amendments to the substitute; third, the substitute ; and last, the amendment. Debate on an amendment is in order only when the main motion is debatable, and is then limited to the proposed modification. An amendment which has been rejected may not be offered the second time in identical form, and no amendment may be proposed reversing the operation of an amendment previously adopted. Motions to amend will not be entertained unless germane or relevant to the main question, and no proposition different from that under con sideration will be admitted under guise of amendment. This mo tion yields to all privileged, incidental and subsidiary motions except indefinite postponement. It is subject to amendment, to the operation of the previous question and to reconsideration, and when laid on the table carries with it the proposition pro posed to be amended. Likewise when the main question is laid on the table, postponed or recommitted, all pending amendments accompany it. The motion to amend is not applicable to the motion to lay on the table or for the previous question, to adjourn or to suspend the rules.