In US
parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense or t ...
, the previous question (also known as "calling for the question", "calling the question", "close
debate
Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...
", "calling for a vote", "vote now", or other similar forms) is generally used as a
motion
In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and mea ...
to end debate on a pending proposal and bring it to an immediate vote. The meaning of this specialized motion has nothing to do with any question previously considered by the assembly.
In the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
and Commonwealth parliaments, a motion for "
cloture
Cloture (, also ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. ...
", or "closure", is used instead to end debate. In those bodies, the "previous question" has a different use and is rarely used or not used at all.
History
The "previous question" was initially used in the
English Parliament
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...
in 1604.
At that time, use of this motion was intended not to end debate, but to suppress the main question for the rest of the session (similar to an
objection to the consideration of a question
__NOTOC__
In parliamentary procedure, an objection to the consideration of a question is a motion that is adopted to prevent an original main motion from coming before the assembly. This motion is different from an objection to a unanimous consen ...
).
It could be debated and when put to a vote, an affirmative vote on the previous question would put the
main motion
In parliamentary procedure, a motion is a formal proposal by a member of a deliberative assembly that the assembly take certain action. Such motions, and the form they take are specified by the deliberate assembly and/or a pre-agreed volume detaili ...
to a immediate vote, while a negative vote on the previous question would end consideration of the main motion altogether for the day.
Although rarely used, this same form of the motion still exists in Parliament.
The United States Congress gradually changed the previous question to a different motion for its own purposes. Initially, its use in Congress was similar to that in parliament.
Then in 1805, Congress made it undebatable.
Throughout the 19th century, Congress made additional changes to this motion.
By the end of the 19th century in the United States, it had become a motion to close debate and to proceed to voting on the main question.
Explanation and use
To end debate, a motion for the previous question could be adopted. It is often proposed by a member saying, "I call
orthe question", although the formal wording is, "I move the previous question."
The motion for the "previous question" has nothing to do with the last question previously considered by the assembly.
Another use of this motion could be to stop the moving of amendments on any amendable motion. It also prevents the making of other subsidiary motions like commit or postpone.
''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'' (RONR)
Under
''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'' (the book used by most organizations in the United States), when a motion for the previous question is made (whether formally or in a nonstandard form such as "calling the question", "close debate", or "calling for a vote"), a two-thirds vote (or
unanimous consent
In parliamentary procedure, unanimous consent, also known as general consent, or in the case of the parliaments under the Westminster system, leave of the house (or leave of the senate), is a situation in which no member present objects to a prop ...
) is required to end debate.
A single member cannot force the end of debate.
Also, interrupting someone by yelling out "Question!" or "Call the question!" is not appropriate (it has to be made by obtaining the floor like other motions).
This motion is not debatable because having debate on such a motion would defeat its purpose.
In ordinary societies, the rationale for a two-thirds vote to end debate and move to a vote on the pending question is to protect the rights of the minority (and it may protect the rights of the majority if only one person was improperly allowed to stop debate).
''Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure''
Most state legislatures in the United States use ''
Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure
''Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure'', commonly referred to as ''Mason's Manual'', is the official parliamentary authority of most state legislatures in the United States. This 700+ page book has been "Adopted as the authority on questions ...
''. This book also provides for the motion of the previous question.
''The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure''
''
The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure
''The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure'' (formerly the ''Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure'' by Alice Sturgis) is a book of rules of order. It is the second most popular parliamentary authority in the United States after ' ...
'' does not have the "previous question". Instead this book has the motion to "close debate", the motion to "vote immediately", or the motion to "close debate and vote immediately". Regardless of the terminology, a two-thirds vote is required to end debate.
Use in the United States Congress
In the
United States House
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, most major legislation comes to the floor under a special rule approved by the
Rules Committee, and then the House, which defines the terms and limits of debate for that resolution. After debate has begun, the previous question may be used to end debate (which requires only a
simple majority of voting Members to pass).
Instead of a motion for the previous question, the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
uses a
motion to limit debate, called
cloture
Cloture (, also ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. ...
. This requires three-fifths of the total number of Senators. It does not immediately end debate on the pending question, but rather imposes strict limitations on debate.
Use in other parliaments
In the
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...
, the use of the previous question is the same as was originally developed (by suppressing the question instead of closing debate), although its use in this regard is very rare.
The Chair responds to a motion for the previous question with "The question is, That the Question be not now put."
The
Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons
The Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons (frequently shortened to Modernisation of the House of Commons Committee) was a temporary select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was c ...
criticized this procedure as "totally incomprehensible", and proposed in its place a simplified motion to "proceed to the next business".
Instead of the previous question, a closure motion is used to end debate.
The
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...
has the "previous question" in its original form from the British Parliament (by suppressing the question instead of closing debate) and is also very rarely used by this body. Instead, the "closure" motion is used to end debate in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Closure is also used in groups outside parliament in Australia.
In the
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...
, the previous question has a similar older form. Also in this body, the "closure" motion is used to end debate by requiring that the house proceed to voting at the end of the sitting in which the "closure" motion is adopted.
See also
*
Debate (parliamentary procedure)
Debate in parliamentary procedure refers to discussion on the merits of a pending question; that is, whether it should or should not be agreed to. It is also commonly referred to as "discussion".
Purpose
When a motion has been made and is before ...
*
Table (parliamentary procedure)
In parliamentary procedure, the verb to table has the opposite meaning in the United States from that of the rest of the world:
*In the United States, to "table" usually means to postpone or suspend consideration of a pending motion.
*In the rest o ...
– a term that also has different meanings in British and American use
References
{{Parliamentary Procedure