previous question
American Heritage Dictionary:
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previous question
n.
The motion in parliamentary procedure to take an immediate vote on the main question being considered or on any other questions so designated.
Oxford Guide to the US Government:
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previous question
The previous question is a procedural device used in the House of Representatives to limit debate and avoid potentially damaging amendments by a bill's opponents. Managers of a bill can make a motion calling for the previous question—"question” in this case meaning the bill being debated. If the motion passes, no further amendments can be introduced and the House must vote on the original bill. Although the House permits this parliamentary tactic, the Senate has resisted it. Senate rules have traditionally been more tolerant of the minority and make it more difficult to cut off debate. Rather than needing a majority vote (51 percent) for the previous question, the Senate must achieve a three-fifths vote (60 percent) to invoke cloture and cut off debate.
See also Cloture; Motions, parliamentary; Parliamentary procedure
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Previous question
| Class | Subsidiary motion |
|---|---|
| In order when another has the floor? | No |
| Requires second? | Yes |
| Debatable? | No |
| May be reconsidered? | Yes, but if vote was affirmative, only before any vote has been taken under it. A negative vote on this motion can be reconsidered only until such time as progress in business or debate has made it essentially a new question. |
| Amendable? | No |
| Vote required: | Two-thirds |
Previous question, in parliamentary procedure (also known as calling for the question, calling the question, close debate and other terms) is a motion to end debate, and the moving of amendments, on any debatable or amendable motion and bring that motion to an immediate vote.
Explanation and use
It is often invoked by a member saying, "I call [for] the question."
Under Robert's Rules of Order, when a call for the question is made, a two-thirds vote is required to end debate. The motion for the previous question itself is not debatable.
The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure criticizes the "previous question" terminology as being confusing, and instead calls this motion the motion to close debate, the motion to vote immediately, or the motion to close debate and vote immediately.[1] Regardless of the terminology, a two-thirds vote is required to end debate.
The United States Senate refers to the previous question as cloture, and requires three-fifths of the total number of Senators. However, it does not immediately end debate on the pending question, but rather imposes strict limitations on debate. It is therefore more akin to the motion to limit debate found in Robert's Rules, than the motion for the previous question.
References
- ^ AIP; Sturgis, Alice F. (2001). The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (4th ed. ed.). p. 235.
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Guide to the US Government
The Oxford Guide to the United States Government. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2002 by John J. Patrick, Richard M. Pious, Donald M. Ritchie. All rights reserved.
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