Senate Concurrent Resolution 4 - Introduced
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 4
BY WHITVER
1 A Concurrent Resolution relating to joint rules of
2 the Senate and House of Representatives for the
3 Ninetieth General Assembly.
4 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF
5 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the joint rules
6 of the Senate and House of Representatives for the
7 Eighty-ninth Ninetieth General Assembly shall be:
8 JOINT RULES OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE
9 Rule 1
10 Suspension of Joint Rules
11 The joint rules of the general assembly may be
12 suspended by concurrent resolution, duly adopted by a
13 constitutional majority of the senate and the house.
14 Rule 2
15 Designation of Sessions
16 Each regular session of a general assembly shall be
17 designated by the year in which such regular session
18 commences.
19 Rule 3
20 Sessions of a General Assembly
21 The election of officers, organization, hiring and
22 compensation of employees, and standing committees in
23 each house of the general assembly and action taken
24 by each house shall carry over from the first to the
25 second regular session and to any extraordinary session
26 of the same general assembly. The status of each
27 bill and resolution shall be the same at the beginning
28 of each second session as it was immediately before
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1 adjournment of the previous regular or extraordinary
2 session; however the rules of either house may provide
3 for re-referral of some or all bills and resolutions
4 to standing committees upon adjournment of each
5 session or at the beginning of a subsequent regular or
6 extraordinary session, except those which have been
7 adopted by both houses in different forms.
8 Upon final adoption of a concurrent resolution at
9 any extraordinary session affecting that session, or at
10 a regular session affecting any extraordinary session
11 which may be held before the next regular session,
12 the creation of any calendar by either house shall be
13 suspended and the business of the session shall consist
14 solely of those bills or subject matters stated in the
15 resolution adopted. Bills named in the resolution, or
16 bills containing the subject matter provided for in the
17 resolution, may, at any time, be called up for debate
18 in either house by the majority leader of that house.
19 Rule 3A
20 International Relations Protocol
21 The senate and the house of representatives shall
22 comply with the international relations protocol policy
23 adopted by the international relations committee of the
24 legislative council.
25 Rule 4
26 Presentation of Messages
27 All messages between the two houses shall be sent
28 and accepted, as soon as practicable, by the secretary
29 of the senate and the chief clerk of the house of
30 representatives. The messages shall be communicated
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1 to and received by the presiding officer of the other
2 house at the earliest appropriate time when that house
3 is in session.
4 Rule 5
5 Printing and Form of Bills and Other Documents
6 Bills and joint resolutions shall be introduced,
7 numbered, prepared, and printed as provided by
8 law, or in the absence of such law, in a manner
9 determined by the secretary of the senate and the
10 chief clerk of the house of representatives. Proposed
11 bills and resolutions which are not introduced but
12 are referred to committee shall be tracked in the
13 legislative computer system as are introduced bills
14 and resolutions. The referral of proposed bills
15 and resolutions to committee shall be entered in the
16 journal.
17 All bills and joint resolutions introduced shall be
18 in a form and number approved by the secretary of the
19 senate and chief clerk of the house.
20 The legal counsel’s office of each house shall
21 approve all bills before introduction.
22 Rule 6
23 Companion Bills
24 Identical bills introduced in one or both houses
25 shall be called companion bills. Each house shall
26 designate the sponsor in the usual way followed in
27 parentheses by the sponsor of any companion bill or
28 bills in the other house. The house where a companion
29 bill is first introduced shall print the complete text.
30 Rule 7
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1 Reprinting of Bills
2 Whenever any bill has been substantially amended by
3 either house, the secretary of the senate or the chief
4 clerk of the house shall order the bill reprinted on
5 paper of a different color. All adopted amendments
6 shall be distinguishable.
7 The secretary of the senate or the chief clerk
8 of the house may order the printing of a reasonable
9 number of additional copies of any bill, resolution,
10 amendment, or journal.
11 Rule 8
12 Daily Clip Sheet
13 The secretary of the senate and the chief clerk of
14 the house shall prepare a daily clip sheet covering all
15 amendments filed.
16 Rule 9
17 Reintroduction of Bills and Other Measures
18 A bill or resolution which has passed one house and
19 is rejected in the other shall not be introduced again
20 during that general assembly.
21 Rule 10
22 Certification of Bills and Other Enrollments
23 When any bill or resolution which has passed one
24 house is rejected or adopted in the other, notice of
25 such action and the date thereof shall be given to the
26 house of origin in writing signed by the secretary of
27 the senate or the chief clerk of the house.
28 Rule 11
29 Code Editor’s Correction Bills
30 A bill recommended by the Code editor which is
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1 passed out of committee to the floor for debate by a
2 committee of the house or senate and which contains
3 Code corrections of a nonsubstantive nature shall
4 not be amended on the floor of either house except
5 pursuant to corrective or nonsubstantive amendments
6 filed by the judiciary committee of the senate or
7 the house. Such committee amendments, whether filed
8 at the time of initial committee passage of the bill
9 to the floor for debate or after rereferral to the
10 committee, shall not be incorporated into the bill in
11 the originating house but shall be filed separately.
12 Amendments filed from the floor to strike sections of
13 the bill or the committee amendments shall be in order.
14 Following amendment and passage by the second house,
15 only amendments filed from the floor which strike
16 sections of the amendment of the second house shall be
17 in order.
18 A bill recommended by the Code editor which is
19 passed out of committee to the floor for debate by a
20 committee of the house or senate and which contains
21 Code corrections beyond those of a nonsubstantive
22 nature shall not be amended on the floor of either
23 house except pursuant to amendments filed by the
24 judiciary committee of the senate or the house. Such
25 committee amendments, whether filed at the time of
26 initial committee passage of the bill to the floor for
27 debate or after rereferral to the committee, shall
28 not be incorporated into the bill in the originating
29 house but shall be filed separately. Such a bill shall
30 be limited to corrections which: Adjust language to
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1 reflect current practices, insert earlier omissions,
2 delete redundancies and inaccuracies, delete temporary
3 language, resolve inconsistencies and conflicts,
4 update ongoing provisions, and remove ambiguities.
5 Amendments filed from the floor to strike sections of
6 the bill or the committee amendments shall be in order.
7 Following amendment and passage by the second house,
8 only amendments filed from the floor which strike
9 sections of the amendment of the second house shall be
10 in order.
11 It is the intent of the house and the senate that
12 such bills be passed out of committee to the floor for
13 debate within the first four weeks of convening of a
14 legislative session.
15 Rule 12
16 Amendments by Other House
17 1. When a bill which originated in one house is
18 amended in the other house, the house originating
19 the bill may amend the amendment, concur in full in
20 the amendment, or refuse to concur in full in the
21 amendment. Precedence of motions shall be in that
22 order. The amendment of the other house shall not be
23 ruled out of order based on a question of germaneness.
24 a. If the house originating the bill concurs in the
25 amendment, the bill shall then be immediately placed
26 upon its final passage.
27 b. If the house originating the bill refuses to
28 concur in the amendment, the bill shall be returned to
29 the amending house which shall either:
30 (1) Recede, after which the bill shall be read for
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1 the last time and immediately placed upon its final
2 passage; or
3 (2) Insist, which will send the bill to a
4 conference committee.
5 c. If the house originating the bill amends the
6 amendment, that house shall concur in the amendment
7 as amended and the bill shall be immediately placed
8 on final passage, and shall be returned to the other
9 house. The other house cannot further amend the bill.
10 (1) If the amending house which gave second
11 consideration to the bill concurs in the amendment
12 to the amendment, the bill shall then be immediately
13 placed upon its final passage.
14 (2) If the amending house refuses to concur in the
15 amendment to the amendment, the bill shall be returned
16 to the house originating the bill which shall either:
17 (a) Recede, after which the bill shall be read for
18 the last time as amended and immediately placed upon
19 its final passage; or
20 (b) Insist, which will send the bill to a
21 conference committee.
22 2. A motion to recede has precedence over a motion
23 to insist. Failure to recede means to insist; and
24 failure to insist means to recede.
25 3. A motion to lay on the table or to indefinitely
26 postpone shall be out of order with respect to motions
27 to recede from or insist upon and to amendments to
28 bills which have passed both houses.
29 4. A motion to concur, refuse to concur, recede,
30 insist, or adopt a conference committee report is in
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1 order even though the subject matter has previously
2 been acted upon.
3 Rule 13
4 Conference Committee
5 1. Within one legislative day after either house
6 insists upon an amendment to a bill, the presiding
7 officer of the house, after consultation with the
8 majority leader, shall appoint three majority party
9 members and, after consultation with the minority
10 leader, shall appoint two minority party members
11 to a conference committee. The majority leader of
12 the senate, after consultation with the president,
13 shall appoint three majority party members and,
14 after consultation with and approval by the minority
15 leader, shall appoint two minority party members to a
16 conference committee. The papers shall remain with the
17 house that originated the bill.
18 2. The conference committee shall meet before
19 the end of the next legislative day after their
20 appointment, shall select a chair and shall discuss the
21 controversy.
22 3. The authority of the first conference committee
23 shall cover only issues related to provisions of the
24 bill and amendments to the bill which were adopted
25 by either the senate or the house of representatives
26 and on which the senate and house of representatives
27 differed. If a conference committee report is not
28 acted upon because such action would violate this
29 subsection of this rule, the inaction on the report
30 shall constitute refusal to adopt the conference
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1 committee report and shall have the same effect as if
2 the conference committee had disagreed.
3 4. An agreement on recommendations must be approved
4 by a majority of the committee members from each house.
5 The committee shall submit two originals of the report
6 signed by a majority of the committee members of each
7 house with one signed original and three copies to be
8 submitted to each house. The report shall first be
9 acted upon in the house originating the bill. Such
10 action, including all papers, shall be immediately
11 referred by the secretary of the senate or the chief
12 clerk of the house of representatives to the other
13 house.
14 5. The report of agreement is debatable, but
15 cannot be amended. If the report contains recommended
16 amendments to the bill, adoption of the report shall
17 automatically adopt all amendments contained therein.
18 After the report is adopted, there shall be no more
19 debate, and the bill shall immediately be placed upon
20 its final passage.
21 6. Refusal of either house to adopt the conference
22 committee report has the same effect as if the
23 committee had disagreed.
24 7. If the conference committee fails to reach
25 agreement, a report of such failure signed by a
26 majority of the committee members of each house shall
27 be given promptly to each house. The bill shall
28 be returned to the house that originated the bill,
29 the members of the committee shall be immediately
30 discharged, and a new conference committee appointed in
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1 the same manner as the first conference committee.
2 8. The authority of a second or subsequent
3 conference committee shall cover free conference during
4 which the committee has authority to propose amendments
5 to any portion of a bill provided the amendment is
6 within the subject matter content of the bill as passed
7 by the house of origin or as amended by the second
8 house.
9 Rule 14
10 Enrollment and Authentication of Bills
11 A bill or resolution which has passed both houses
12 shall be enrolled in the house of origin under the
13 direction of either the secretary of the senate or the
14 chief clerk of the house and its house of origin shall
15 be certified by the endorsement of the secretary of the
16 senate or the chief clerk of the house.
17 After enrollment, each bill shall be signed by the
18 president of the senate and by the speaker of the
19 house.
20 Rule 15
21 Concerning Other Enrollments
22 All resolutions and other matters which are to
23 be presented to the governor for approval shall be
24 enrolled, signed, and presented in the same manner as
25 bills.
26 All resolutions and other matters which are not to
27 be presented to the governor or the secretary of state
28 shall be enrolled, signed, and retained permanently
29 by the secretary of the senate or chief clerk of the
30 house.
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1 Rule 16
2 Transmission of Bills to the Governor
3 After a bill has been signed in each house, it shall
4 be presented by the house of origin to the governor by
5 either the secretary of the senate or the chief clerk
6 of the house. The secretary or the chief clerk shall
7 report the date of the presentation, which shall be
8 entered upon the journal of the house of origin.
9 Rule 17
10 Fiscal Notes
11 A fiscal note shall be attached to any bill or joint
12 resolution which reasonably could have an annual effect
13 of at least one hundred