Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXII

This article is part of a series on the
United States Senate
History of the United States Senate
Members
Current members (by seniority by class) Former members Hill committees (DSCC NRSC) United States Vice President (list) President pro tempore (list) Presiding officer Party leaders Party leadership of the United States Senate Democratic Caucus Republican Conference
Politics and procedure
Advice and consent Blue slip Closed session (list) Cloture Committees (list) Executive session Morning business Filibuster Nuclear option Recess appointment Quorum Quorum call Salaries Saxbe fix Seal Holds Senatorial courtesy Standing Rules Traditions Unanimous consent Vice Presidents' tie-breaking votes
Places
United States Capitol Senate chamber Senate Reception Room Senate office buildings (Dirksen Hart Russell)

Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, governs the precedence of motions in the Senate.^[1]

Among other things, Rule XXII describes the means that the Senate may invoke to bring debate to a close ("cloture"). Sixteen Senators may propose, and the President of the Senate shall offer, this motion: "Is it the sense of the Senate that the debate shall be brought to a close?"^[2]

A vote of three-fifths of the Senate will cause the debate to conclude after thirty hours with discussion only on the motion or bill, unless the Senate votes by a three-fifths majority to extend debate.^[2]

Debate may also be interrupted by a question of order (under Rule XX). When the Senate Majority Leader raises a question of order that only a simple majority is needed to close debate, this is the first step to instituting the constitutional option (the so-called "nuclear option").

References

• Rules of the Senate