What does it mean when a Member of the House says "I move to strike the last word" just before speaking? What is the "last word" they are talking about? Los Angeles, CA - 5/3/00

Moving to strike the last word is a parliamentary tactic to extend debate time during the amending process. The "last word" refers to the last word of the pending amendment or bill. Motions to strike the last word are actually nonsense amendments, or more technically, "pro forma" amendments (amendments in form only.) They are not meant to literally strike out the last word. Here's how it works.

The House most often amends bills under the "five-minute rule," which allots five minutes for the mover of an amendment to explain it and five minutes for an opponent. This time can only be extended by unanimous consent, which is not always forthcoming. With a total of only 10 minutes per amendment under the regular order, the two principal Members debating an amendment often use up all the time and have none left to yield to other Members who wish to participate in the debate. However, Members can get 5 minutes of their own if they offer an amendment -- so that's just what they do. They move to strike the last word of the pending amendment. They are then recognized for 5 minutes, which they use not to discuss the merits of striking the last word of the pending amendment, but instead to discuss its substantive content.

Sometimes, pro forma amendments are used to discuss related business in between amendments. If no actual amendment is pending, the motion to strike the last word is considered to be an attempt to strike the last word of the pending bill. In this circumstance, Members can use the time to discuss the floor schedule, the bill overall, or anything else pertinent to the business at hand.

By House precedent, pro forma amendments are considered to be automatically withdrawn at the end of the 5 minutes of debate. No vote or consent request is necessary to dispose of them. Members recognize that these motions to strike the last word are used strictly for the purpose of extending debate, so no one forces a vote on what are not substantive proposals. They have become a routine short-cut to the desired goal of additional time for debate and avoid the extended discussions that sometimes arise when someone formally asks unanimous consent to step outside of the regular order. And if pro forma amendments go on too long, the floor manager of the bill can always move to close debate on the pending matter.