GERMANE

This is the legislative standard of relevance, and the scope of what is germane to a bill is much tighter than what is often thought of as relevant to a topic. As a general rule, if an amendment expands the scope of a bill it‘s probably not germane. When the Senate has invoked cloture on a bill any amendment that‘s not germane is off-limits for debate. The Parliamentarian, seated at the platform in the center of the Senate Floor, decides what is germane.

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