House moves to 'saunter' — chamber stands at ease while awaiting conference committee report

An unidentified member moved that the House 'saunter' — a procedural request for the chamber to stand at ease — while the conference committee works to return a report.

The motion was introduced as the member said, "Mister speaker, I move that we saunter." The presiding officer conducted a voice vote, asking, "those in favor, say aye," and the chamber responded; the presiding officer then stated, "The House will saunter." No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

Why it matters: The recess was framed as temporary and tied directly to an outstanding conference committee report. Members were told not to go far so the committee could bring back its work; the transcript records that several Senate bills had been returned with amendments and that one House bill remained under Senate consideration. The motion thus paused floor business while interchamber negotiations continued.

Details: The transcript records no debate on the motion and no named sponsor beyond the single unidentified mover. The presiding member also said there were "no communications from the Senate" at that moment and that some Senate amendments were still under consideration. The motion was carried by voice vote; the transcript does not include a roll-call, named votes, or numerical tallies.

The session concluded the exchange with a brief, non-substantive remark from the presiding speaker offering candy from their office before the chamber recessed.

Outcomes and next steps: The immediate outcome was a temporary recess (the House 'sauntered') while members awaited a conference committee report and further action or communications from the Senate. The transcript does not record when the committee report is expected or which bills are the subject of the conference committee.