General Assembly House Resolution No.
201
September 29 Special Session, 2020
LCO No. 4319
Referred to Committee on No Committee
Introduced by:
REP. ARESIMOWICZ, 30th Dist.
REP. RITTER M., 1st Dist.
REP. KLARIDES, 114th Dist.
RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE SEPTEMBER 29 SPECIAL SESSION,
2020.
Resolved by this House:
1 That the rules of the House at this Special Session shall be the same
2 as the rules of the House in force at the 2020 regular session, except as
3 said rules are amended, altered or repealed in this resolution.
4 Strike out Rule 1 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
5 1. The speaker shall take the chair every day at the hour to which the
6 House has adjourned and shall immediately call the House to order and,
7 after prayer and recitation of the pledge of allegiance, proceed to
8 business if a quorum is present. During a declaration of a public health
9 or civil preparedness emergency, every member present in the State
10 Capitol or Legislative Office Building and logged into the House of
11 Representatives electronic voting system shall be considered present for
12 the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present.
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13 Strike out Rule 5 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
14 5. If there is any disturbance, disorderly conduct or other activity in
15 or about the State Capitol or Legislative Office Building which, in the
16 opinion of the speaker, may impede the orderly transaction of the
17 business of the House of Representatives, the speaker may take such
18 action as the speaker deems necessary to preserve and restore order.
19 Strike out Rule 9.
20 Strike out Rule 10 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
21 10. The clerk shall keep a journal of the House, and shall enter therein
22 a record of each day's proceedings, and shall record any amendment
23 that may be offered to any bill or resolution.
24 Strike out Rule 11 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
25 11. (a) Each bill or substantive resolution may be acted upon in the
26 House immediately after electronic notice of the filing and number of the
27 bill or substantive resolution is provided to the majority leader and the
28 minority leader, who shall be responsible for forwarding such notice to
29 the members of their respective caucuses, and after final action may be
30 transmitted immediately to the Senate. If the House rejects an amendment
31 adopted by the Senate, the bill or substantive resolution after final action
32 in the House may be transmitted immediately to the Senate. If the Senate
33 rejects an amendment adopted by the House, the bill or substantive
34 resolution when received from the Senate may be acted upon
35 immediately.
36 (b) A bill or resolution certified in accordance with section 2-26 of the
37 general statutes, if filed in the House, may be transmitted to and acted
38 upon first by the Senate with the consent of the speaker; and, if filed in
39 the Senate, may be transmitted to and acted upon first by the House
40 with the consent of the President Pro Tempore.
41 Strike out Rule 15.
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42 Strike out Rule 16 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
43 16. When any member is about to speak in debate or deliver any
44 matter to the House, the member shall rise and address the chair as "Mr.
45 Speaker" or "Madam Speaker," as the case may be.
46 If two or more rise at the same time, the speaker shall name the
47 member entitled to the floor, preferring one who rises in place to one
48 who does not.
49 During a declaration of a public health or civil preparedness
50 emergency by the Governor, any member may rise and address the
51 chair through the House of Representatives electronic voting system
52 and shall be entitled to the floor when named by the speaker.
53 Strike out Rules 19 and 20.
54 Strike out Rule 21 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
55 21. The order of business shall be as follows:
56 1. Reception of communications from the Governor and the Secretary
57 of the State.
58 2. Introduction of bills and resolutions.
59 3. Reports of committees.
60 4. Reception of business from the Senate.
61 5. Miscellaneous.
62 Strike out Rule 31 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
63 31. (a) Amendments shall be filed with the clerk of the House before
64 10:00 a.m. on the day on which the bill or resolution is to be acted upon,
65 except that (1) the following may each sponsor or authorize
66 amendments at any time: The presiding officer, the majority leader or,
67 in the majority leader's absence, the majority leader's designated deputy
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68 majority leader, the minority leader or, in the minority leader's absence,
69 the minority leader's designated deputy minority leader; (2) the
70 presiding officer may waive the filing requirement upon the request of
71 the majority leader or the minority leader; and (3) after any amendment
72 or amendments have been adopted, any member may offer a further
73 amendment only if it is directly related to the amendment or
74 amendments adopted.
75 (b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this rule, if a bill or resolution
76 has been scheduled for consideration on a date certain pursuant to a
77 special order, all amendments relating to that bill or resolution must be
78 filed with the clerk of the House before 5:00 p.m. on the last day the
79 clerk's office is open preceding the day on which the bill or resolution
80 has been scheduled for consideration. The only exceptions to this filing
81 requirement shall be: (1) The persons named in subdivision (1) of
82 subsection (a) of this rule may each sponsor an amendment at any time;
83 and (2) after any amendment or amendments have been adopted, any
84 member may offer a further amendment only if it is directly related to
85 the amendment or amendments adopted.
86 (c) Members may co-sponsor an amendment that is in the possession
87 of the clerk of the House, or remove their names as co-sponsors, by
88 submitting a written request to the clerk not later than 10:00 a.m. on the
89 day following adoption or rejection of the amendment, excluding
90 weekends and holidays. Co-sponsorship of an amendment does not
91 constitute co-sponsorship of the bill it would amend unless the member
92 so specifies pursuant to Joint Rule 7(c).
93 (d) After a motion for passage of a bill or resolution has been made,
94 a motion to amend the bill or resolution is in order.
95 A pending amendment may not be amended. No substitute
96 amendment may be offered for a pending amendment.
97 (e) No independent new question may be introduced as an
98 amendment.
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99 Strike out Rules 32 and 33.
100 Strike out Rule 40 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
101 40. Every member present in the House chamber, or present in the
102 State Capitol or Legislative Office Building and logged into the House
103 of Representatives electronic voting system, when a question is put by
104 the speaker, shall vote, unless excused by the speaker. No member shall
105 absent herself or himself from the House chamber or the State Capitol
106 or Legislative Office Building, or log out of the electronic voting system,
107 without leave, unless there is a quorum without such member's
108 presence.
109 Whenever any vote is to be taken, the speaker may order the doors
110 closed and thereupon no member shall leave the House unless by
111 permission of the speaker, or the House, until the vote is declared, but
112 members shall be admitted at any time.
113 When a vote has been taken, if any member raises a question of an
114 excess of votes cast over the number of members present, a count of the
115 House shall be had, and if it appears that such excess of votes exists, the
116 speaker shall order the vote to be again taken.
117 Strike out Rule 43 and insert in lieu thereof the following:
118 43. There shall be a consent calendar on which shall be entered such
119 bills and resolutions as the majority leader and the minority leader or
120 their designees shall agree, and shall be proposed to the House by the
121 majority leader or the designee of the majority leader in the form of a
122 motion to move to the consent calendar. The consent calendar may be
123 acted upon on the day of such motion or on a subsequent day. At the
124 request of a member made from the floor any bill or resolution shall be
125 removed from those included in the motion. All bills and resolutions on
126 the consent calendar shall be passed on motion without discussion
127 unless, at any time prior to the motion for passage, a member requests
128 from the floor removal of a bill or resolution from the consent calendar
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129 in which case such bill or resolution shall be so removed and placed on
130 the regular calendar. Any bill or resolution so removed shall be
131 considered as having appeared on the regular calendar for a period of
132 time equivalent to that during which it appeared on the consent
133 calendar.
134 Add new Rules 48 and 49 as follows:
135 48. Only those bills and substantive resolutions specified in Rule 7 of
136 the Joint Rules for this session, certified as provided in Rule 9 of said Joint
137 Rules, and, except as provided in Rule 33 of said Joint Rules, only those
138 resolutions pertaining to the rules of this Special Session, the printing of
139 the journals of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the
140 expenses of this Special Session, shall be received.
141 49. During a declaration of a public health or civil preparedness
142 emergency by the Governor, or at any other time deemed necessary by the
143 speaker, each member or other person present in the chamber or outside
144 the Hall of the House shall maintain a cloth face covering or mask over the
145 member's or person's nose and mouth. This rule does not apply to a
146 member who is addressing the chair and able to maintain a distance of at
147 least six feet from any other member or person.
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