The ''Journal of the House of Representatives'' is a written record of proceedings within 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 ...
.
Article I, Section 5 of the
U.S. Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...
requires that the House "keep a Journal of its Proceedings".
The ''Journal'' contains only the legislative actions taken by the House. It does not record all debate, which is recorded in the ''
Congressional Record''.
The House must approve the journal; these votes are often used as
quorum calls or to influence other debates.
Historically, the House Journal was an important source of precedent on questions of legislative procedure and certain areas of constitutional law.
See also
* ''
Hansard
''Hansard'' is the traditional name of the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official prin ...
'', British parliamentary record
*
United States ''Senate Journal''
References
Journal
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period
*Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...
Publications of the United States Congress
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