§ 16. — Same; seats for officers and Members of two Houses in joint meeting.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 3USC16]
TITLE 3--THE PRESIDENT
CHAPTER 1--PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AND VACANCIES
Sec. 16. Same; seats for officers and Members of two Houses in
joint meeting
At such joint meeting of the two Houses seats shall be provided as
follows: For the President of the Senate, the Speaker's chair; for the
Speaker, immediately upon his left; the Senators, in the body of the
Hall upon the right of the presiding officer; for the Representatives,
in the body of the Hall not provided for the Senators; for the tellers,
Secretary of the Senate, and Clerk of the House of Representatives, at
the Clerk's desk; for the other officers of the two Houses, in front of
the Clerk's desk and upon each side of the Speaker's platform. Such
joint meeting shall not be dissolved until the count of electoral votes
shall be completed and the result declared; and no recess shall be taken
unless a question shall have arisen in regard to counting any such
votes, or otherwise under this subchapter, in which case it shall be
competent for either House, acting separately, in the manner
hereinbefore provided, to direct a recess of such House not beyond the
next calendar day, Sunday excepted, at the hour of 10 o'clock in the
forenoon. But if the counting of the electoral votes and the declaration
of the result shall not have been completed before the fifth calendar
day next after such first meeting of the two Houses, no further or other
recess shall be taken by either House.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 644, 62 Stat. 676.)
