Journal of the House of Representatives of the Regular Session of the Sixtieth Legislature of the State of Texas, Volume 1 Page: 31

January 10, 1967

HOUSE JOURNAL

Section 14. Calendars shall be print-
ed daily when the House is in Ses-
sion and distribution thereof made
to members no later than two hours
preceding the time the House con-
venes. Deviations from the calendars
as printed and distributed shall not
be permitted.
RULE X
QUESTIONS OF
PRIVILEGE
Section 1. Questions of privilege
shall be: (1) those affecting the rights
of the House collectively, its safety
and dignity, and the integrity of its
proceedings, and (2) the rights, repu-
tation and conduct of members indiv-
idually in their representative capa-
city only.
Section 2. Questions of privilege
shall have precedence over all other
questions except motions to adjourn.
When in order, a member may ad-
dress himself to a question of privi-
lege, or he may at any time print it
in the Journal, provided it contains
no reflection on any member of the
House.
Section 3. When speaking on per-
sonal privilege, members must confine
their remarks within the limits of
this rule, which will be strictly con-
strued to achieve the purposes hereof.
Section 4. It shall not be in order
for a member to address himself to
a question of privilege: (1) between
the time an undebatable motion is
offered, and before the vote is taken
on such motion; (2) between the time
the previous question is ordered and
the vote is taken on the last proposi-
tion included under the previous
question; or (3) between the time a
motion to table is offered and before
the vote is taken on such motion.
Section 5. Merits of a main or sub-
sidiary motion shall not be discussed
or debated under the guise of speak-
ing to a question of privilege.
RULE XI
DECORUM AND
DEBATE
Section 1. When a member desires
to speak or deliver any matter to the
House, he shall rise and respectfully
address himself to "Mr. Speaker" and,
on being recognized, may address the
House from the microphone at the

Reading Clerk's desk, and shall con-
fine himself to the question under
debate, avoiding personalities.
Section 2. When two or more mem-
bers happen to rise at once, the Speak-
er shall name the one who is first
to speak, and his decision shall be
final and not open to debate or ap-
peal.
Section 3. There shall be no appeal
from the Speaker's recognition, but
he shall be governed by rules and
usage in priority of entertaining mo-
tions from the Floor. When a mem-
ber seeks recognition, the Speaker
may ask, for his information, "For
what purpose does the gentleman
rise ?" or "For what purpose does the
gentleman seek recognition?" and he
may then decide if recognition is to
be granted.
Section 4. When a member has the
Floor, he shall not be interrupted by
another member for any purpose, un-
less he consents to yield to such other
member. A member desiring to inter-
rupt another in debate should first
address the Speaker for permission
of the member speaking. The Speak-
er shall then ask the member who
has the Floor if he wishes to yield,
and shall then announce the decision
of such member. The member who
has the Floor may exercise his own
discretion as to whether or not he
will yield, and it is entirely within
his discretion to determine when and
by whom he shall be interrupted.
Section 5. When a member obtains
the Floor on recognition of the Speak-
er, he may not be taken off the Floor
by a motion, even the highly privileg-
ed motion to adjourn, but if he yields
to another to make a motion or to
offer an amendment, he thereby loses
the Floor.
Section 6. The mover of any propo-
sition, or the member reporting any
measure from a committee, as the
case may be, or, in the absence of
either of them, then any other mem-
ber designated by such absentee, shall
have the right of opening and clos-
ing the debate thereon, and for this
purpose may speak each time not to
exceed twenty minutes.
Section 7. All speeches shall be lim-
ited to ten minutes in duration,
except as provided in Section 6 of
this rule, and the Speaker shall call

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