What Is Suspension of the Rules?

Under suspension of the rules, House debate on a bill is capped at 40 minutes, no amendments are in order, and the vote required is two-thirds of the Members voting, a quorum being present. The rule that governs it is clause 1 of House Rule XV, and the House amended it at the start of the current Congress.

What does a motion to suspend the rules actually do?

Clause 1(a) sets the threshold: "A rule may not be suspended except by a vote of two-thirds of the Members voting, a quorum being present." A member makes a motion that the House "suspend the rules and pass" (or "adopt") a named measure; the motion passes or adopts that measure if it reaches two-thirds.

The motion "suspends all rules inconsistent with its purposes". A motion to suspend may provide for the passage of a bill "regardless of whether it has been reported by committee, referred to a calendar, or even previously introduced". "Authorization by a committee is not required for the Speaker to recognize for a motion to suspend the rules".

The motion is not available in the Committee of the Whole, and the House rules forbid the Speaker to entertain a motion to suspend the rules relating to the privilege of the floor, the use of the Hall of the House, or the introduction of persons in the galleries.

What does two-thirds of the Members voting mean?

The threshold is two-thirds of the Members voting, not of the full membership; the rule requires only that a quorum be present.

The two-thirds requirement was added in 1822. The provision developed from a rule adopted in 1794 that no rule should be rescinded without one day's notice, and "In 1822 a paragraph was added that no rule should be suspended except by a two-thirds vote."

Which days can the Speaker entertain the motion?

The rule states: "The Speaker may not entertain a motion that the House suspend the rules except on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays."

During the 117th Congress the House amended the rule to permit motions to suspend the rules on any day. In the 119th Congress the rule was amended to return to Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays — and, per the House Rules and Manual, that change was made "without the inclusion of the last six days of a session". The rule's history note records that in 1874 the House cut the end-of-session limit from ten days to six.

The Manual records that the motion can be made on days other than suspension days by unanimous consent, or by adoption of a resolution reported by the Committee on Rules.

The motion "has been admitted at the discretion of the Speaker since 1881", and "no appeal may be taken from the Speaker's denial of recognition".

How is the bill handled on the floor?

Debate is set by the rule: "A motion that the House suspend the rules is debatable for 40 minutes, one-half in favor of the motion and one-half in opposition thereto." Before the House adopted that provision in 1880, the motion to suspend the rules was not debatable.

The 20 minutes in opposition can be contested. "Where recognition for the 20 minutes in opposition is contested, the Speaker will accord priority first on the basis of true opposition, then on the basis of committee membership, and only then on the basis of party affiliation, the latter preference inuring to the minority party".

"The motion may not be amended". It is not subject to a demand for a division of the question. It "may not be postponed" or "laid on the table". "The Clerk reports the title of the bill and a motion that the measure be read in full is not in order", and "Copies of reports on bills considered under suspension are not required to be available in advance."

A motion to suspend the rules "may be withdrawn at any time before the Chair puts the question and a voice vote is taken thereon".

What can be done while a suspension is pending?

Clause 1(b) of the rule reads: "Pending a motion that the House suspend the rules, the Speaker may entertain one motion that the House adjourn but may not entertain any other motion until the vote is taken on the suspension." That paragraph dates to 1868.

What happens if a suspension fails?

"One motion to suspend the rules having been rejected, the Speaker may recognize for a similar motion".

The motion to reconsider may be applied to an affirmative vote on a motion to suspend, but not to a negative one.

How this fits the rest of the process

Clause 2 of the same Rule XV covers the discharge petition, which requires the signatures of a majority of the House — 218 members. See also the House Rules Committee route, how a bill becomes law, and voice votes versus roll calls.

Drafted from primary source documents by LegislationPatch's automated research pipeline, then reviewed, verified, and edited by James Shearn, Editor. Every figure and citation is checked against the official text before publication. See our editorial standards and AI disclosure.