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40
Parliamentary Inquiry.
§ 35

parliamentary law is violated, or if he wants information as to the parliamentary effect of any question before the assembly, or to a motion which he desires to bring up for consideration, or if he is in doubt as to the proper form relative to some business before the assembly, he may rise to a parliamentary inquiry for the purpose of information, or to secure a ruling of the chair on the subject.

Parliamentary inquiries are of the same nature of privileged questions, and may even interrupt a highly privileged question if requiring immediate action; they rank with points of order, questions of privilege, questions of consideration, etc., inasmuch as they do not require to be seconded and the member making the inquiry does not wait for recognition before stating his object in rising. They should not interrupt a member speaking unless they refer to a matter requiring immediate action. When a speaker is so interrupted he retains his right to the floor, after the inquiry is answered.