Glossary of Senate Terms

 

Adjourn: A motion to adjourn in the Senate (or in committee) ends that day’s session. Under the Constitution, neither chamber may adjourn for more than three days without the approval of the other. This approval is granted by a concurrent resolution approved by both chambers.

Administration bill: An informal designation signifying that a bill’s text is part of the president’s agenda.

Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending matter by striking or inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the underlying measure, the Senate must agree to it.

Amendment Tracking System (ATS): An online database of amendments filed to legislation pending on the floor. The ATS is maintained by the Secretary of the Senate at ats.senate.gov.

Amendment tree: A chart that illustrates certain principles of precedence governing the Senate amendment process. When all of the amendments permitted by these principles have been offered and are pending simultaneously, an amendment tree is said to be “filled” No additional amendment may be offered until one or more of those pending is disposed of or laid aside. See: “Filling the tree.”

Appeal: When the presiding officer rules on a point of order, any senator may appeal the ruling—unless an appeal is specifically prohibited. When an appeal is heard, the presiding officer submits the question to the full Senate to decide. Members cast their vote to sustain or reverse the presiding officer’s ruling. Most appeals are determined by a simple majority of those present and voting, but some require higher thresholds. For example, the successful appeal of certain budget points of order requires three-fifths of senators duly chosen and sworn (60 in a fully-seated Senate).

Appropriations bill: Legislation that provides legal authority for federal agencies to incur obligations and to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The three most common types of appropriations bills are: regular (annual), supplemental (emergency), and continuing (stopgap). Under the rules of both House and Senate, in most cases an appropriation bill should follow enactment of authorizing legislation. By tradition, appropriations bills originate in the House and usually provide one-year money for programs.

Authorization bill: Legislation establishing a program and authorizing the enactment of appropriations for one or more years. Under the rules of the House and Senate, in most cases the authorization of appropriations is a prerequisite for the actual appropriation of budget authority. Authorizing legislation may specific the maximum amount of budget authority to be included in an appropriations act or may authorize the appropriation of “such sums as may be necessary.” In some instances, authorizing legislation may contain an appropriation or provide other forms of budget authority such as contract authority, borrowing authority, or entitlement authority.

Bill: There are four forms of legislative vehicles that may be introduced or submitted in the Senate: bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, and resolutions of one house ("simple resolutions"). A bill or joint resolution is used when the purpose is to make law; a joint resolution is also used for the purpose of proposing an amendment to the Constitution. Resolutions are used for internal business of Congress itself. Most legislative proposals before Congress are bills and are designated as either H.R. (House bill) or S. (Senate bill), according to the body in which they originate. Bills are numbered sequentially in the order they are introduced. Bills that have not become law before a Congress adjourns sine die must be re-introduced the following Congress to remain active.

Blue slip (nominations): It is tradition in the Senate to permit the two home state senators to approve or disapprove a judicial nominee who will preside in the circuit or district court in their state. Opinions are rendered on a blue slip of paper and delivered to the chairman of the Judiciary committee. If a nominee is acceptable, the home state senator will return the slip with an affirmative response. If a home state senator wishes to convey an objection, the slip will be returned with an unfavorable response or withheld from the Judiciary committee altogether. Failure to return a blue slip, or an adverse opinion from a home state senator does not necessarily doom a nomination, however. Ultimately, the decision to move a nomination forward rests with the chairman of the Judiciary committee.

Blue slip (revenue measures): Article 1, section 7, clause 1 of the Constitution (the Origination Clause) requires all legislation raising revenue to originate in the House of Representatives. Thus, legislation that makes changes to taxes and/or tariffs should be designated with an HR bill number and be reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means before it reaches the Senate. The House enforces its prerogative through a process known as “blue-slipping” because the resolution returning the offending S-numbered bill to the Senate is printed on blue paper. Often, the mere threat of a “blue slip” is sufficient to quash an S-numbered revenue measure or Senate amendment.

Budget resolution: A concurrent resolution (denoted by S.Con.Res. or H.Con.Res.) adopted by both houses of Congress as part of the annual budget and appropriations process. It sets forth an overall spending and revenue plan for Congress against which the budgetary contours of individual bills are evaluated. Because it is a plan for Congress, a budget is not presented to the president for signature and does not have the force of law. Legislation that violates the spending and revenue parameters in the most recent budget resolution may be vulnerable to a point of order.

Calendar of business (legislative calendar): The Senate calendar, published by the legislative clerk, lists all Senate bills and resolutions that are eligible for consideration on the Senate floor. A measure can be placed on the calendar in one of two ways: it can be reported out of committee, or a senator may side-step the committee process and place the measure directly on the calendar under Rule XIV of the Senate rules. The calendar is maintained by the secretary of the Senate and is available online at senate.gov.

Calendar item number: The reference number for a measure that is listed on the Senate’s legislative calendar and ready for floor consideration.

Cloakroom: A room just off the Senate floor at the rear of the chamber where senators can confer privately, receive phone calls, or relax. It is also office space for floor staff. Republicans and Democrats each have their own cloakroom and their own rules for staff who wish to enter. Members of the press are not permitted in the cloakrooms. Staff can reach the Republican cloakroom by calling 4-6191.

Cloture (Rule XXII, paragraph 2): The Senate operates under the principle of unlimited debate. Cloture is the only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit on consideration of a bill or other matter, and thereby overcome a filibuster. Under the cloture rule for legislation, the Senate may limit consideration of a pending matter to 30 additional hours, but only by vote of three-fifths of a fully seated Senate (60 votes). The cloture rule for nominations has been amended several times in recent history. Currently, a simple majority is needed to invoke cloture on a nomination. Post-cloture debate time varies depending on the type of nomination.

Committee process: Typically, bills and resolutions introduced by senators are referred to one of the standing legislative committees. The committee of jurisdiction will hold hearings, consider amendments, rewrite (markup) the bill, and, after a favorable vote, report the legislation back to the Senate for consideration by the full chamber. This process is sometimes referred to as “regular order.”

Companion bill: A bill introduced in one house, often identical to legislation submitted in the other.

Conference committee: One approach to resolving textual differences between House and Senate-passed versions of the same bill or resolution (the other: amendment exchange, or “messages.”). Conferees are appointed by their respective party leaders in each chamber and may be chosen for their expertise, seniority, negotiating skill, working relationships with the other conferees, or for more strategic purposes.

Congressional Budget Office (CBO): A nonpartisan legislative branch agency tasked with producing independent analyses of the budgetary and economic effects of legislation. Comparable to the executive branch’s Office of Management and Budget. The duties and responsibilities of the Congressional Budget Office are prescribed in Title IV of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act of 1974.

Congressional Record: The transcript of debate and proceedings in Congress, printed daily when Congress is in session. Transcripts of verbatim debate can be corrected by a senator before printing in the Reporter’s Office, room S-219 of the Capitol, but only as to grammar, not substance.

Consent: See “unanimous consent.”

Continuing resolution: When a fiscal year ends without an appropriation for a department or agency for the following fiscal year having been approved, a continuing resolution (CR) or “stopgap” may be enacted to allow departments and programs to remain in operation, albeit at a level and spend-out rate equivalent to its most recently enacted full-year appropriations bill.

Co-sponsor: Whereas a sponsor performs the administrative task of introducing a measure (and often receives credit for authoring the text), a co-sponsor lends their support by officially adding their name in association. “Original” co-sponsors of legislation agree to associate themselves with the measure upon its introduction and are denoted in the Congress.gov database with an asterisk next to their name. Co-sponsors can be added after a measure is introduced. Senators may co-sponsor free-standing legislation as well as amendments. Amassing co-sponsors is one way to signal wider support for legislation.

Debatable: Motions (actions) on the Senate floor are either debatable or non-debatable. A debatable motion requires the Senate to invoke cloture before it can vote up or down on the underlying question. Rule XXII of the Senate Standing Rules lists the most common motions and whether they are debatable.

Direct spending: Budget authority provided by law other than appropriation acts. Also knows as mandatory spending. Examples of direct spending include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the food stamp program.

Discretionary spending: Budget authority provided and controlled by annual appropriation acts. Examples of discretionary spending include: the salaries and expenses paid to federal employees; money for international food aid programs; disaster relief funds; education grants; medical services provided at VA hospitals; and homeless assistance grants.

Engrossed bill: The final copy of a bill as passed by one chamber, with the text as amended by floor action and certified by the clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate. (Related: “Enrolled bill”).

Enrolled bill: The final copy of a bill that has been passed in identical form by both chambers. It is certified by an officer of the house of origin (House clerk or Senate secretary) and then sent for signatures of the speaker of the House, the Senate president, and the president of the United States. An enrolled bill is printed on parchment. (Related: “Engrossed bill”).

Executive business: The Senate, unlike the House, performs certain executive functions such as the confirmation of nominations and the ratification of treaties. These duties are carried out in “executive session” as opposed to “legislative session.”

Executive calendar: Published by the executive clerk each day the Senate is in session, this lists all nominations and treaties reported by committees that are pending for Senate action.

Filibuster: Informal term for any attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter by debating it at length, usually by offering numerous procedural motions, refusing to yield the floor, or by any other delaying or obstructive actions. A Senate tradition, the filibuster is a way of balancing minority rights with the principle of majority rule. A filibuster can last for hours or days and can be ended by invoking cloture or moving to another matter.

Filling the tree: A floor strategy deployed (usually by the majority party) to block other members from offering amendments. By exercising the right of first recognition, the majority leader can hold the floor without interruption and sequentially offer all of the amendments permitted under parliamentary rules (hence “filling” the amendment tree.). By doing so, a leader can freeze the amendment process in place and blocking additional floor amendments—at least temporarily. This strategy typically is used to block non-germane amendments, accelerate consideration of a measure, or control the subject or sequence of amendments that may be offered.

Floor manager: A senator, usually representing sponsors of a bill, who steers it through debate and amendment to a final vote in the chamber. The floor manager is frequently the chairman of the committee that reported a bill. Managers are responsible for apportioning the time granted to supporters of the bill for debating it. The minority leader or the ranking minority member of the committee often apportions time for the minority party’s participation in the debate. The floor manager usually sits in the leader’s chair and often controls the flow of amendments.

Germane: A term of art meaning “on the subject” of the pending bill or other business. The Senate employs a variety of terms to describe the degree to which a matter is related to the underlying bill or resolution, and germaneness is the strictest test (others include relevance, scope, and defense of germaneness).

Hold: A procedural tool Senators may use to delay or block consideration of Senate business, especially anything that might require unanimous consent to advance quickly in the legislative process. Holds are (largely) a courtesy provided by leadership, but elements are regulated S. Res. 28 (112th Congress)—a permanent standing order that requires all Senators to notify leaders in writing if they intend to place a hold. Holds remain anonymous for the first 48 hours after which they can be made public.

Hotline: A voice and email message system used by the Republican and Democratic cloakrooms to alert member offices of scheduling information or to solicit feedback about current or upcoming floor activities. The party hotlines are used for legislative and executive items but they operate independent of each other: hotlines from the Republican cloakroom are sent to Senate Republican members and hotlines from the Democrat cloakroom are sent to Senate Democrats.

Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT): One of two legislative branch scoring agencies, JCT operates in conjunction with the Congressional Budget Office to produce cost estimates of legislation amending the Internal Revenue Code.

Joint resolution: A resolution, designated H.J.Res. or S.J.Res., that requires the approval of both houses and the signature of the president to become law. Similar to a bill, but a joint resolution is usually reserved for continuing resolutions and proposed amendments to the Constitution.

Layover: Informal term for a period of delay required by a rule. For example, when a measure is reported out by a committee, it may be considered on the floor only after it “lies over” for one legislative day and after the written report has been available for two calendar days. Cloture motions must also lie over one day before they “ripen.” Layover periods may be waived by unanimous consent.

Legislative calendar: See “Calendar of business”.

Legislative day: The period of time extending from when the Senate convenes after an adjournment until the time it next adjourns. In the Senate, a legislative day can extend over several calendar days.

Live pair: If a senator must miss a vote, he or she can find another senator who plans to vote the opposite way and who agrees to abstain instead of voting. The purpose of pairing is to avoid altering the outcome of the vote from what would have occurred if the missing senator had been present. It is a courtesy between members. The abstaining senator will state for the record how he or she would have voted if not for the pairing and will respond to the roll call as “present.”

Live quorum (call): A quorum is necessary to conduct business in the Senate. Article 1, section 5 of the Constitution defines a quorum as a majority of all Senators duly chosen and sworn—or 51 members in a fully-seated Senate. Rather than require 51 members to be on the floor at all times, however, the Senate typically operates under a presumptive quorum—a quorum is assumed unless the absence of a quorum is noted. A live quorum occurs when the attendance of Senators on the floor is mandatory to establish a quorum. It is signaled by three bells. See: “Quorum call”.

Managers’ package: Amendments that have been deemed acceptable to the bill managers (majority and minority) with or without modifications and then grouped into a “package” to expedite their consideration. Provided there are no objections, the amendments are offered all at once on the Senate floor and usually adopted by voice vote or unanimous consent.

Markup: Refers to the committee process of amending and reporting out an existing bill, resolution, or original measure. It may also refer to the committee process of reporting out a nomination.

Message from the House (Amendments between Houses): One method of resolving differences in legislation between the House and Senate. In lieu of going to conference, amendments are exchanged between the two chambers in the hope that the House and Senate will eventually adopt the same version. Consistent with the rule prohibiting third degree amendments, however, the number of times a measure can be exchanged is limited. A message from the House – the term used to describe a bill or resolution the Senate is receiving from the House for the second time – is privileged in the Senate. A message from the House, or amendments between Houses, is also known as “ping-ponging.”

Morning business: Normally granted by unanimous consent, a category of time during which senators may briefly discuss issues not germane to pending legislation, usually for no more than 10 minutes per speaker. It is time for routine legislative housekeeping and can occur any time of the day. To exercise this courtesy, a Senator should rise, seek recognition, and state “Mr./Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for X minutes as if in Morning Business” or “I ask unanimous consent to speak as if in Morning Business.”Motion: “Action” in the Senate. Rule XXII, paragraph 1 of the Senate Standing Rules establishes a list of common motions and their prioritization of business on the floor.

Motion to instruct conferees: After agreeing to go to conference but before conferees are appointed, each House may instruct the conferees to take certain positions in conference. These instructions to the conferees are not binding.

Motion to proceed: A motion to have the Senate begin consideration of an executive, procedural, or legislative item. By custom, virtually all such motions are made by the majority leader. Some motions to proceed are debatable, others are not, and some are subject to limited debate as proscribed in a rule or law.

Motion to recommit: A motion to send a bill or resolution back to the committee that reported it. Generally, a successful motion to recommit would effectively kill consideration of a measure unless the motion is accompanied by specific instructions. In the latter case, the instructions generally ask the committee to report the measure back to the floor within a specific time and with one or more amendments (“…recommit and report back forthwith with an amendment…”).

Motion to reconsider: Essentially a “do over” of a vote. When the results of a vote are announced by the clerk, the floor manager usually says, “I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table.” If agreed to, the vote result will stand. If, however, a motion to reconsider is entered, a re-vote may occur at a future time. Only a senator on the prevailing side of the original vote can make a motion to reconsider. For this reason, the majority leader may switch his or her vote (e.g., from “yea to “nay” on a cloture vote) in order to enter the motion to reconsider. The timing of the re-vote is usually determined by the majority leader. There are three procedural steps in a re-vote: (1) a successful vote on the motion to proceed to the motion to reconsider, (2) a successful vote on the motion to reconsider the failed vote, and then (3) the actual re-vote itself (e.g. do-over of a previously failed cloture vote).

Motion to table: A parliamentary procedure used to dispose quickly of questions the Senate does not wish to consider further. A senator may move to table any pending question. A tabling motion—one of the highest priority motions—is not debatable. Agreeing to table a matter is equivalent to defeating it.

Original bill: A bill drafted by a committee. The term is used to differentiate between the original work of a committee and the committee’s mark-up of a House-passed bill or a numbered bill previously introduced by another senator (who may or may not be a member of the committee).

Parliamentarian: The Senate’s advisor on the interpretation an application of the Senate’s rules and procedures. Staff from the parliamentarian’s office sit on the Senate dais and advise the presiding officer on the conduct of Senate business. The Office of the Parliamentarian also refers bills to the appropriate committees on behalf of the Senate’s presiding officer.

Parliamentary inquiry: A question by a senator delivered on the floor to the presiding officer requesting a clarification—of the procedural situation or of Senate rules and precedents that govern the Senate’s procedural posture at that time. Responses to parliamentary inquiries are not rulings of the presiding officer, but they can be used as a preamble to other procedural motions (e.g., points of order) or to create an official record of a Senate precedent that may have transpired off the floor. A senator must have the floor to make a parliamentary inquiry.

Pending business: The measure or matter before the Senate and all of its related amendments and motions.

Pending question: The issue of highest precedence before the Senate at any given time that is immediately ripe for consideration – usually the most recent item offered (e.g., an amendment, motion, or point of order).

Precedent: One of four pillars that govern Senate procedure (in addition to the Standing Rules of the Senate, laws, and unanimous consent orders). A precedent is established when the presiding officer rules on a point of order. Past precedents are binding on the Senate in future questions of procedure unless the decision of the chair is reversed by the Senate on appeal or is supplanted by more recent precedent.

President of the Senate: The Constitution designates the Vice President of the United States as the president, or presiding officer, of the Senate. Typically, the vice president presides over the Senate only when his or her vote is needed to break an anticipated tie.

President pro tempore: The president pro tempore is responsible for presiding over the Senate in the absence of the vice president. The person occupying the post is elected by members of the Senate and is generally the longest-serving member of the majority party. The president pro tem is third in the line of succession to the presidency.

Presiding officer: A majority-party senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing members to speak, and interpreting the Senate’s rules, practices and precedents. Traditionally. The presiding officer’s duties are fulfilled by new or junior members of the majority party.

Privileged (matter): When a matter is “privileged” in the Senate, it has permission (established in prior laws, rules, or precedents) to skip some routine Senate procedures. For example, a concurrent resolution on the budget is privileged—the motion to proceed cannot be filibustered and debate time is limited. Some privileged matters can be placed before Senate automatically, without a motion to proceed. Examples of privileged measures include conference reports, budget resolutions, reconciliation bills, and certain measures imposing international sanctions.

Pro forma session: From the Latin, meaning “as a matter of form,” a pro forma session is a brief meeting of the Senate, usually lasting only a few minutes. A pro forma session typically is held to satisfy the Constitutional requirement that the Senate be in session every 3 days unless the House and Senate have agreed to an adjournment resolution.

Point of order: When legislation (or a senator) violates the rules or precedents of the Senate, a point of order may lie. For example, once cloture has been invoked on a measure, all amendments to that measure must be germane (Rule XXII). Thus, a non-germane amendment post-cloture can be ruled out of order by the presiding officer. Most points of order are not self-enforcing: a senator must seek recognition and state the point of order. Most points of order are determined by the presiding officer with guidance from the Senate parliamentarian. Most budget points of order, however, are determined by the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.

Quorum call: A method for determining whether a sufficient number of members are present in the chamber to conduct business. Article 1 section 5 of the Constitution defines a quorum as a “majority of all senators, duly chosen and sworn – 51 senators in a fully seated Senate. In practice, a quorum call is akin to a timeout, a temporary suspension of activity on the floor that allows members to conduct informal negotiations on a path forward or wait for the arrival of an absent senator. To place the Senate in a quorum call, a member must be recognized and say “Mr./Madam President, I note the absence of a quorum.” The clerk then begins to call the names of all senators aloud in alphabetical order, intentionally pausing at length in between names to avoid reaching the end of the roll. Regular business resumes when a senator is recognized and states, “Mr./Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with” or something similar. (Related: “Live quorum”

Reading a bill: Under Senate rules, a bill must be read three times before it leaves the chamber. First and second readings occur when a bill is introduced. The third reading occurs before final passage. Under Senate Standing Rule XIV, the readings are by title only—unless the Senate orders otherwise.

Recognition: In order to speak on the floor, a senator must stand and be recognized by the presiding officer (and remain standing while speaking). According to the traditions of the Senate, the majority leader has the right of first recognition, even if others have been waiting to speak. After the majority leader, the order of precedence is: the minority leader; the majority floor manager of the matter before the Senate; the minority floor manager; and then any senator first requesting recognition.

Regular order: Refers to the Senate’s return to the pending business after a period of suspension (typically due to the terms of a unanimous consent agreement). The term also generally refers to the normal procedures that govern the Senate.

Report: Legislation that is sent to the floor by committee typically is accompanied by a report describing the purpose and scope of a bill. It lists and explains amendments adopted by the committee and usually includes comments on the bill and cost estimates by the Congressional Budget Office. The views of committee members in opposition to the measure and supplemental views of other members of the committee may be included as well.

Reserving the right to object: Once a senator makes a unanimous consent request, the presiding office will ask “Is there an objection?” whereupon one or more Senators may seek recognition and object, stating “Reserving the right to object…” This floor strategy is often used to seek clarification of the consent request, ask the majority leader about the schedule of upcoming business, or to make an argument in favor of or against the request. A senator should conclude his or her inquiry or statement with a formal objection (“I object to the request.”) or withdraw the objection altogether (“I withdraw my objection”).

Resolution: A simple resolution, designated H.Res. or S.Res., deals with matters entirely within the prerogatives of one chamber (the conduct of business, chamber rules, sentiment of the body on an issue, etc.). It does not need to pass the other house or be signed by the president. A simple resolution needs only to pass its own chamber to have force and effect.

Riddick’s: A 1992 book, Riddick’s Senate Procedure, compiling the rules of the Senate, portions of laws that affect Senate procedure, rulings by the presiding officer, and established practices of the Senate at the time it was published. It is now out of print but continues to be a useful reference and is saved by the Government Publishing Office as S. Doc. 101-28 at govinfo.gov. Updates to certain chapters of Riddick’s are available at webster.senate.gov/precedents.

Roll call vote: A vote in which each senator is recorded in favor or against the question at hand. Senators wishing to vote may signal thumbs up (yea), thumbs down (no), or respond to their name with “present.” Back-to-back roll call votes are sometimes referred to as “stacked” votes. A typical roll call vote lasts approximately 15-20 minutes, but can be held open longer or condensed at the discretion of the majority leader. Senators are permitted to change their vote up until the presiding officer says, “Is there any Senator wishing to change their vote?” If no senator speaks, the presiding officer will announce the final tally. To request a roll call vote, a member should “request the yeas and nays.” Roll call votes and members’ vote positions are printed in the Congressional Record. (Related: “Voice vote”).

Rule XIV: A way of bypassing referral to committee and placing a measure directly on the Calendar of General Orders. To place a measure on the calendar under Rule XIV, after a measure is introduced it is read twice, once each on separate legislative days. After the second reading, a senator states, “I object to further proceedings on this matter,” and upon that statement, the legislation goes directly on the Calendar. Any senator has the right to exercise the Rule XIV process, but getting a measure off the calendar and onto the floor remains the prerogative of the majority leader. Rule XIV can be used for both Senate and House bills. Frequently, the majority leader will place House-passed appropriations or tax measures directly on the Senate calendar in case they are needed as “shells” for important legislation originating in the Senate that would otherwise violate the Constitution’s Origination Clause (See: “Blue slip”).

Score: Term of art referring to the estimated budgetary effects of a measure (cost estimate), as determined by the Congressional Budget Office or the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Sine die (adjournment): Literally, “end of days.” When the Senate completes its business, typically it will adjourn for the day with instructions to reconvene on a specific future date. When the Senate reaches the end of a session of Congress, however, the Senate will adjourn sine die, indicating that the current Congress has no intention of reconvening – a signal that a new session of Congress is slated to begin.

Side-by-side: When a proponent offers a politically-charged amendment or bill, an opponent may offer a similar or related alternative to serve as political cover. The alternative gives opponents of the original measure a way to indicate their support for the general topic without having to vote for the original measure. The original and the alternative are usually voted on in close proximity to each other (hence the term “side-by-side”), usually under the terms of a unanimous consent order.

Sponsor: The senator who introduces a bill, amendment, or other measure; also known as the chief sponsor.

Standing Rules (of the Senate): Collection of 44 rules that govern how the Senate conducts business. Unlike the House of Representatives, which adopts new rules at the beginning of every Congress, the rules of the Senate remain in force until amended.

Sufficient second: When a request for the yeas and nays is made, the presiding officer will ask, “Is there a sufficient second?” A sufficient second consists of a minimum of 11 Senators who raise their hands (one-fifth of the Senate’s presumptive quorum of 51) in support of the motion. A necessary sufficient second can be as high as 20, however, if there has been a recent vote with 100 senators present. In practice, senators who want a roll call vote on a proposition usually receive sufficient support from their colleagues, but not always. Failure to provide a sufficient second can be a method of rebuke.

Time agreement: A type of unanimous consent agreement that establishes a time limit for debate on a specific measure and can define how that time will be divided (between opposing sides and among competing amendments).

Two-day (or 48-hour) rule: Senate Rule XVII (para. 5) requires committee reports to be available to members in printed form for two calendar days before the underlying measure can be considered. The two-day period is construed to mean 48 hours, which commence when the Government Printing Office delivers copies of the committee report to the Republican and Democratic cloakrooms. Sundays and holidays do not count against the two-day rule, even if the Senate is in session on those days. If a committee does not file a report and there is no requirement that it do so, the two-day rule is inapplicable.

Unanimous consent (unanimous consent agreement): One method of establishing the conduct of business in the Senate in which all 100 senators agree to proceed according to the terms of the consent agreement. Consent orders are commonly used to sequence floor activity, expedite business, control and allocate time, and impose germaneness or relevance requirements for amendments. Procedurally, almost anything can be done in the Senate by unanimous consent. If a single senator objects, however, consent is not granted. All pending unanimous consent agreements are printed on the first page of the day’s Senate calendar.

Voice vote: A vote on a pending matter that does not record each individual senator’s vote position. Voice votes are used to expedite the Senate’s business. Strategically, a voice vote can be used to advance must-pass legislation (i.e., a continuing resolution or an increase in the debt limit) that might otherwise fail under a recorded vote. The outcome of a voice vote is determined by the opinion of the presiding officer. (Related: “Roll call vote”).

Wrap-up: The period at the end of the Senate’s day when the chamber passes non-controversial items by voice vote.

Yeas and nays: A request for a roll call vote on a pending question.

Yield the floor: A senator must be recognized by the presiding officer in order to speak on the floor. When the senator is done speaking, he or she terminates this recognition by yielding the floor.

Yield time: When the Senate is considering a measure under a time agreement, the majority and minority floor managers control the time allotted to proponents and opponents. A senator may not speak on the measure until a floor manager yields an amount of time. When a senator begins speaking without being yielded time, the presiding officer will interrupt and say, “Who yields time?”