Senators in the US Senate can only speak during a debate if another Senator gives them time. Typically, floor managers for the bill are the only ones who can give time, but a Senator can give time to anyone if they declare it to the president of the Senate. Senators may give time for various reasons, and if a Senator does not use their allotted time, they can trade it to another Senator.
During a debate in the United States Senate, or once the close has been invoked or if the Senate is operating with a unanimous consensus, a Senator may speak only if another Senator gives time. Typically, the only senators who can give time are the floor managers for the bill. However, there are times when a Senator who has been given the opportunity to speak may give time away to another Senator if the time has not been used up in its entirety.
To give time, a senator declares that he gives time to the president of the Senate. At that point, the Senator may give time to any Senator of his choice. In most cases, this would likely be a senator willing to make the compliant senator’s argument.
There are a number of situations in which a Senator might feel compelled to give time. Sometimes, a senator may allow time simply because he wants a question answered. In other cases, a senator might buy time simply because he needs to attend to other business. A senator may also allow time for another senator to make a statement. In the latter case, a Senator cannot claim the time he gives up.
However, a senator who is given time to make a statement need not use up all that time. In these cases, a senator can give time to the floor manager or give it to another senator. Usually, the Senator gives his time to the Senator who initially granted him permission to speak.
In addition to the unanimous consent rules, the time to yield can also be important when closure is invoked. Cloture limits overall debate to 30 hours, and no senator is allowed to speak for more than one hour. However, if a Senator does not use her time, that Senator can trade time to another Senator, which is usually traded to the floor manager or party leader in the respective political party. At that point, the Senator who receives the time can use it to make comments, or pass all or part of it to another Senator.
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