Riddick's Senate Procedure

Named after Senate Parliamentarian Emeritus Floyd M. Riddick, this Senate document contains the contemporary precedents and practices of the Senate. An appendix contains suggested forms for various procedures, e.g., offering motions or filing conference reports. It is updated periodically by the Senate Parliamentarian.

Dr. Riddick served as Parliamentarian of the Senate from 1964 to 1974, having been Assistant Parliamentarian since 1951. Riddick spent seven years compiling the first edition of a Senate Procedure, a compilation of all Senate precedents since 1884, which was first published in 1958. It was last revised and updated in 1992 and published as Senate Document 101-28. It is considered the bible of U.S. Senate practice and procedure.

More than one thousand precedents have been researched, analyzed, and incorporated into the 1958 edition. The 1992 edition contains all current precedents, and related Standing Rules and statutory provisions, through the end of the 101st Congress (1989-1990).