A resolution establishing a Committee to Inform the President of the United States that a quorum of each House is assembled.
This is a Senate Resolution (S. Res. 1) that creates a ceremonial joint committee to inform the President that both Houses of Congress have a quorum and are ready to receive any communication from the President. Specifically, the resolution provides that a committee of two Senators will be appointed to join a House of Representatives committee (to be appointed by the House) to wait upon the President and convey that a quorum is assembled and Congress is prepared to receive the President’s communications. The measure is strictly procedural and ceremonial. It does not authorize new policies, create rights or duties beyond the commission to notify the President, nor does it authorize spending. Its effect is to formalize a traditional ritual of confirming Congress’s readiness to engage with the President at the start of a session or in other appropriate moments.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a joint ceremonial committee: a committee of two Senators to join the House’s chosen committee to wait upon the President.
- 2Purpose of the committee: inform the President that a quorum of both Houses is assembled and that Congress is ready to receive any communication the President may wish to deliver.
- 3Nature of the measure: purely procedural and ceremonial; no substantive policy changes, budgetary authority, or regulatory impact.
- 4Interaction between Chambers: requires coordination between the Senate and House, with the Senate’s two members joining the House-appointed committee.
- 5Timing and context: intended to occur at moments when the President has communications to deliver, reflecting traditional practices of formal notification and liaison between the legislative and executive branches.