THE PRINCIPLES OF OFFERING AMENDMENTS

In offering amendments in a committee or on the House floor, there are several key principles to follow:

• Amendments must comply with the rules of the House. Amendments that are in violation of a House rule are subject to a point of order both in committee and on the floor. If a point of order is sustained against an amendment, the amendment is ineligible for consideration.

• Amendments must be timely offered. Absent any specially agreed to procedure, bills and joint resolutions are read by section. Appropriation bills are read by paragraph. The text to which an amendment is offered must be offered at the point which that text is pending before the body. For example, if a bill is being read for amendment by section, any amendments to section 1 must be offered during the reading of section 1. Once consideration of a section has been completed, further amendments to that section may be offered only by unanimous consent.

• Portions of a bill that have already been amended cannot be further amended. After the House or committee have adopted an amendment to a portion of a bill, that exact portion is no longer eligible for amendment.

• Amendments must be in writing. Any member can request that an amendment being offered be put in writing.

• Third degree amendments are not in order. First and second degree amendments are usually in order during consideration of a measure in committee. Whether amendments are in order on the House floor depends on the special rule or order of business governing consideration of such a measure.