The Legislative Week

The Senate--Heard the President's message read by its Secretary.

P: Received innumerable reports, petitions, resolutions and more than 1,300 bills.

P: Heard the President's budget message read by its Secretary.

P: Passed a joint resolution continuing for another year the life of a committee which is revising the temporary postal rates in effect since last spring in order to enable the rates to be properly revised before being made permanent. (Resolution went to the House.)

P: Received a long list of nominations from the President for confirmation.

The House--Agreed by vote of 210 to 192 to alter the rules of procedure* so that a petition signed by a majority (218)) of the members of the House is required to withdraw a bill from committee and bring it to a vote instead of the 150 signatures that were necessary under the rules of the last Congress.

P: Heard the President's message read by its clerk.

P: Heard the President's budget message read by its clerk.

P: Proceeded at once to consideration of the tax reduction bill in committee of the whole. The general debate was continued for five days and concluded, Representative Green of Iowa (Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee) and Representative Garner (ranking Democrat) dividing the time equally between them and parceling out so many minutes each to their followers. Then the reading of the bill, section by section, was begun, with each Congressman entitled to a five-minute speech if he so desired.

P: Adopted a resolution to have the credentials of Representative-elect John W. Langley of Kentucky considered by a select committee to report on the qualifications of Mr. Langley and recommend action to the House. Mr. Langley is under prison sentence for conspiracy to violate the prohibition laws.

P: Adopted the joint resolution previously adopted by the Senate for extending the life of the Postal Rates Commission.

P: Received a great number of reports, resolutions and more than 5,300 bills.

P: Received the report of its special committee investigating aircraft (of which Congressman Reid, lawyer for Colonel Mitchell, is a member) recommending, besides measures for promoting civil aviation, the creation of a Department of National Defense over both Army and Navy.

* TIME (Dec. 14) describing this action used a wording which indicated that this change of rules was rejected, whereas it was approved.