Shortly before the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans were trying to prevent a “lame-duck” session of Congress. (Lame-duck sessions are held after an election but before the newly elected Congress is sworn into office.) Republican members of the House of Representatives offered a resolution pledging not to hold a lame-duck session after the election.  The Speaker of the House ruled that the Republicans’ resolution violated House rules. Republicans made a motion to appeal the Speaker’s ruling. Democrats then made a motion to table (kill) that appeal.

Specifically, the resolution stated that “the Democrat majority has all but announced plans to use any lame-duck Congress to advance currently unattainable, partisan policies that are widely unpopular with the American people or that further increase the national debt against the will of most Americans.” The resolution also stated that the House “pledges not to assemble on or between the dates of November 2, 2010 [election day] and January 3, 2011, [the date at which the newly elected Congress is sworn into office] except in the case of an unforeseen, sudden emergency requiring immediate action from Congress.”

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) argued in favor of his resolution: “…the intent of the majority is very clear. They want to spend more, they want to tax more, they want to borrow more, and they wish to harm more job creation in this lame duck session. And the American people don't want this. To positively represent our constituents, I urge the Speaker to allow this resolution to be considered.”

Such resolutions – known as “privileged resolutions” – are only permissible under House rules if they affect “the rights of the House collectively, its safety, dignity, or the integrity of its proceedings” of the House. If the Speaker rules that such a resolution does not meet these criteria, it is in violation of House rules and cannot be debated or voted on.

The Speaker ruled that the resolution failed to meet the criteria described above, and therefore violated House rules. Price appealed the Speaker’s ruling. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) then made a motion to table (kill) Price’s appeal.

The House voted to table (kill) Price’s appeal of the Speaker’s ruling by a vote of 236-172. 235 Democrats and 1 Republican voted “yea.” 166 Republicans and 6 Democrats voted “nay.” As a result, the House tabled (killed) an effort to appeal a ruling by the Speaker of the House that a resolution pledging not to hold a “lame-duck” session of Congress after the 2010 midterm elections violated House rules. This vote, in effect, killed the Republicans’ resolution.