PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Makes special rules for how Congress handles bills and resolutions that approve trade deals or extend trade treatment. These rules become part of each chamber’s own rules and can override other rules if they conflict, but each chamber can still change its rules like it always can. An "implementing bill" is a bill sent with a trade deal that approves the deal, approves any government plan to carry it out, and adds or changes laws if needed. An "implementing revenue bill or resolution" is one that has tax or tariff measures and must start in the House. An "approval resolution" is a short joint resolution that approves extending nondiscriminatory trade treatment for a named country on a given date. For trade agreements or extensions sent to Congress, the House and Senate leaders (or people they name) must introduce the implementing bill the same day or the next day the chamber is in session. Certain bilateral commercial agreements sent after January 3, 1975 get approval resolutions referred to Ways and Means in the House and Finance in the Senate. No amendments are allowed to these implementing bills or approval resolutions. Committees must act quickly: if they do not report a bill within 45 days it is automatically sent to the calendar, and final passage must occur within 15 days after committee report or discharge. For implementing revenue bills in the Senate, committees have 15 days after the Senate gets the House bill (or up to 45 days after introduction in the Senate) before automatic discharge, and final passage must follow within 15 days. Floor debate in each chamber is capped at 20 hours, split evenly between supporters and opponents. In the Senate, most debatable motions tied to the bill are limited to 1 hour. Many delaying motions, reconsideration, and recommittal are not allowed or are decided without debate.

Title 19, §2191

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(a)Rules of House of Representatives and Senate

This section and section 2192 and 2193 of this title are enacted by the Congress—

(1)as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively, and as such they are deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, but applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in that House in the case of implementing bills described in subsection (b)(1), implementing revenue bills described in subsection (b)(2), approval resolutions described in subsection (b)(3), and resolutions described in section 2192(a) and 2193(a) of this title; and they supersede other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and

(2)with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as relating to the procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.

(b)Definitions

For purposes of this section

(1)

(2)The term “implementing revenue bill or resolution” means an implementing bill, or approval resolution, which contains one or more revenue measures by reason of which it must originate in the House of Representatives.

(3)The term “approval resolution” means only a joint resolution of the two Houses of the Congress, the matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the Congress approves the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment with respect to the products of ____ transmitted by the President to the Congress on ____.”, the first blank space being filled with the name of the country involved and the second blank space being filled with the appropriate date.

(c)Introduction and referral

(1)On the day on which a trade agreement or extension is submitted to the House of Representatives and the Senate under section 2112 of this title, section 3572 of this title, or section 4205(a)(1) of this title, the implementing bill submitted by the President with respect to such trade agreement or extension shall be introduced (by request) in the House by the majority leader of the House, for himself and the minority leader of the House, or by Members of the House designated by the majority leader and minority leader of the House; and shall be introduced (by request) in the Senate by the majority leader of the Senate, for himself and the minority leader of the Senate, or by Members of the Senate designated by the majority leader and minority leader of the Senate. If either House is not in session on the day on which such a trade agreement or extension is submitted, the implementing bill shall be introduced in that House, as provided in the preceding sentence, on the first day thereafter on which that House is in session. Such bills shall be referred by the Presiding Officers of the respective Houses to the appropriate committee, or, in the case of a bill containing provisions within the jurisdiction of two or more committees, jointly to such committees for consideration of those provisions within their respective jurisdictions.

(2)On the day on which a bilateral commercial agreement, entered into under subchapter IV of this chapter after January 3, 1975, is transmitted to the House of Representatives and the Senate, an approval resolution with respect to such agreement shall be introduced (by request) in the House by the majority leader of the House, for himself and the minority leader of the House, or by Members of the House designated by the majority leader and minority leader of the House; and shall be introduced (by request) in the Senate by the majority leader of the Senate, for himself and the minority leader of the Senate, or by Members of the Senate designated by the majority leader and minority leader of the Senate. If either House is not in session on the day on which such an agreement is transmitted, the approval resolution with respect to such agreement shall be introduced in that House, as provided in the preceding sentence, on the first day thereafter on which that House is in session. The approval resolution introduced in the House shall be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and the approval resolution introduced in the Senate shall be referred to the Committee on Finance.

(d)Amendments prohibited

No amendment to an implementing bill or approval resolution shall be in order in either the House of Representatives or the Senate; and no motion to suspend the application of this subsection shall be in order in either House, nor shall it be in order in either House for the Presiding Officer to entertain a request to suspend the application of this subsection by unanimous consent.

(e)Period for committee and floor consideration

(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), if the committee or committees of either House to which an implementing bill or approval resolution has been referred have not reported it at the close of the 45th day after its introduction, such committee or committees shall be automatically discharged from further consideration of the bill or resolution and it shall be placed on the appropriate calendar. A vote on final passage of the bill or resolution shall be taken in each House on or before the close of the 15th day after the bill or resolution is reported by the committee or committees of that House to which it was referred, or after such committee or committees have been discharged from further consideration of the bill or resolution. If prior to the passage by one House of an implementing bill or approval resolution of that House, that House receives the same implementing bill or approval resolution from the other House, then—

(A)the procedure in that House shall be the same as if no implementing bill or approval resolution had been received from the other House, but

(B)the vote on final passage shall be on the implementing bill or approval resolution of the other House.

(2)The provisions of paragraph (1) shall not apply in the Senate to an implementing revenue bill or resolution. An implementing revenue bill or resolution received from the House shall be referred to the appropriate committee or committees of the Senate. If such committee or committees have not reported such bill or resolution at the close of the 15th day after its receipt by the Senate (or, if later, before the close of the 45th day after the corresponding implementing revenue bill or resolution was introduced in the Senate), such committee or committees shall be automatically discharged from further consideration of such bill or resolution and it shall be placed on the calendar. A vote on final passage of such bill or resolution shall be taken in the Senate on or before the close of the 15th day after such bill or resolution is reported by the committee or committees of the Senate to which it was referred, or after such committee or committees have been discharged from further consideration of such bill or resolution.

(3)For purposes of paragraphs (1) and (2), in computing a number of days in either House, there shall be excluded any day on which that House is not in session.

(f)Floor consideration in the House

(1)A motion in the House of Representatives to proceed to the consideration of an implementing bill or approval resolution shall be highly privileged and not debatable. An amendment to the motion shall not be in order, nor shall it be in order to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to.

(2)Debate in the House of Representatives on an implementing bill or approval resolution shall be limited to not more than 20 hours, which shall be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the bill or resolution. A motion further to limit debate shall not be debatable. It shall not be in order to move to recommit an implementing bill or approval resolution or to move to reconsider the vote by which an implementing bill or approval resolution is agreed to or disagreed to.

(3)Motions to postpone, made in the House of Representatives with respect to the consideration of an implementing bill or approval resolution, and motions to proceed to the consideration of other business, shall be decided without debate.

(4)All appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating to the application of the Rules of the House of Representatives to the procedure relating to an implementing bill or approval resolution shall be decided without debate.

(5)Except to the extent specifically provided in the preceding provisions of this subsection, consideration of an implementing bill or approval resolution shall be governed by the Rules of the House of Representatives applicable to other bills and resolutions in similar circumstances.

(g)Floor consideration in the Senate

(1)A motion in the Senate to proceed to the consideration of an implementing bill or approval resolution shall be privileged and not debatable. An amendment to the motion shall not be in order, nor shall it be in order to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to.

(2)Debate in the Senate on an implementing bill or approval resolution, and all debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall be limited to not more than 20 hours. The time shall be equally divided between, and controlled by, the majority leader and the minority leader or their designees.

(3)Debate in the Senate on any debatable motion or appeal in connection with an implementing bill or approval resolution shall be limited to not more than 1 hour, to be equally divided between, and controlled by, the mover and the manager of the bill or resolution, except that in the event the manager of the bill or resolution is in favor of any such motion or appeal, the time in opposition thereto, shall be controlled by the minority leader or his designee. Such leaders, or either of them, may, from time under their control on the passage of an implementing bill or approval resolution, allot additional time to any Senator during the consideration of any debatable motion or appeal.

(4)A motion in the Senate to further limit debate is not debatable. A motion to recommit an implementing bill or approval resolution is not in order.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2015—Subsecs. (b)(1), (c)(1). Pub. L. 114–26, § 110(a)(6), substituted “section 4205(a)(1) of this title” for “section 3805(a)(1) of this title”. 2002—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 107–210, § 2110(a)(1)(A), substituted “section 3572 of this title, or section 3805(a)(1) of this title” for “section 2903(a)(1) of this title, or section 3572 of this title” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 107–210, § 2110(a)(1)(B), substituted “, section 3572 of this title, or section 3805(a)(1) of this title” for “or section 3572 of this title”. 1994—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 103–465, § 282(c)(4)(A), in introductory provisions, inserted “, or with respect to an extension described in section 3572(c)(3) of this title,” after “trade agreements” and substituted “, section 2903(a)(1) of this title, or section 3572 of this title” for “or section 2903(a)(1) of this title”, and in subpars. (A) and (C), inserted “or such extension” after “agreements” wherever appearing. Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 103–465, § 282(c)(4)(B), inserted “or section 3572 of this title” after “section 2112 of this title” and “or extension” after “agreement” wherever appearing. 1990—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 101–382, § 132(b)(2)(A), (B), inserted “or resolution” after “revenue bill” and “, or approval resolution,” after “implementing bill”. Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 101–382, § 132(b)(2)(C), substituted “joint” for “concurrent”. Subsec. (e)(2). Pub. L. 101–382, § 132(b)(2)(D), (E), substituted “revenue bill or resolution” for “revenue bill” in three places and “such bill or resolution” for “such bill” in five places. 1988—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 100–418 inserted reference to section 2903(a)(1) of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–465 effective, except as otherwise provided, on the date on which the WTO Agreement enters into force with respect to the United States (Jan. 1, 1995), and applicable with respect to investigations, reviews, and inquiries initiated and petitions filed under specified provisions of subtitle IV (§ 1671 et seq.) of chapter 4 of this title after such date, see section 291 of Pub. L. 103–465, set out as a note under section 1671 of this title.

§2191 Bills Implementing Trade Agreements on Nontariff Barriers and Resolutions Approving Commercial Agreements with Communist Countries