Objections are sometimes used as delaying tactics. The opponent may disagree with the proposal in question, but chooses to oppose it in order to force a tedious formal vote, which may include debate. [9] Senator Reed Smoot, R-UT, was surprised when a unanimous consent agreement was reached, which he rejected. The problem concerned a 1913 law (p. 4043) prohibiting interstate trade in intoxicating spirits. Unanimous approval was duly given and announced by the Chair. Senator Smoot, who was present in the Chamber, had planned to appeal, but he was briefly distracted and did not appeal in time. Over the next two days, the Senate debated the legitimacy of the unanimous consent agreement and whether it could be amended by another unanimous consent agreement. In the end, the president referred the question of legitimacy to the Senate, which voted by 40 votes to 17 (with 37 members without a vote) to instruct the president to resubmit unanimous approval to the Senate. When that happened, Senator Smoot rejected the agreement. Another unanimous endorsement of the Liquor Act was quickly proposed by Senator Jacob Gallinger, R-NH, and accepted by the Senate.18 The fundamental purpose of Section XII was to clarify certain uncertainties surrounding these Senate treaties. In the early 1900s, the Senate took modest steps to reduce some of the confusion associated with unanimous consent agreements, such as .B the requirement that these agreements be printed in writing in office, to give lectures in the House, and “on the front page of the calendar of daily business while they were in force.” 9 However, further changes were imminent. Two overlapping factors explain why the Senate approved a formal rule change to govern these agreements.
First, there were some ambiguities associated with these agreements that continued to cause controversy and confusion. Previous precedents have simply not adequately addressed these recurring issues. Second, a captivating event – a senator was “surprised” when a unanimous consent agreement was reached – highlighted the need for a formal rule (Article XII) to resolve issues related to these “gentlemen`s agreements”. Unanimous consent is often used to approve the minutes. [14] If no one has made corrections to the minutes, they are approved unanimously without a formal vote. [17] In this particular case of unanimous consent, the only way to object to the approval of the minutes is to offer a correction.