S*264 Session 110 (1993-1994)
S*0264 Resolution, By Senate Rules
A Senate Resolution to amend the Rules of the Senate so as to further provide
for the motion to recede as used in Rule 2 and Rule 14, to further define a
point of personal interest as used in Rule 13, to combine and clarify certain
language relating to the scheduling of committee meetings as provided for in
Rules 19 and 47 and to delete certain duplicate provisions.
01/26/93 Senate Introduced SJ-9
02/03/93 Senate Amended SJ-11
02/11/93 Senate Amended SJ-20
02/18/93 Senate Special order SJ-22
02/25/93 Senate Amended and adopted SJ-37
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
AS PASSED BY THE SENATE
February 25, 1993
S. 264
Introduced by Rules Committee
S. Printed 2/25/93--S.
Read the first time January 26, 1993.
A SENATE RESOLUTION
TO AMEND THE RULES OF THE SENATE SO AS TO FURTHER
PROVIDE FOR THE MOTION TO RECEDE AS USED IN RULE
2 AND RULE 14, TO FURTHER DEFINE A POINT OF
PERSONAL INTEREST AS USED IN RULE 13, TO COMBINE
AND CLARIFY CERTAIN LANGUAGE RELATING TO THE
SCHEDULING OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS AS PROVIDED FOR
IN RULES 19 AND 47 AND TO DELETE CERTAIN DUPLICATE
PROVISIONS.
Amend Title To Conform
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That Rules 2, 13, 14 and 19 of the Rules of the Senate shall be
amended to read as follows:
RULE 2.
Quorum
A majority of the total number of Senators qualified shall constitute
a quorum.
Quorum Call of the Senate
If at any time during the daily session of the Senate it is ascertained
that there is not a quorum present, no business shall be in order except
a call of the Senate, an order to send for absentees, (as provided for
in Rule 3B), a motion to recede for a fixed period of time or to a time
certain, or a motion to adjourn. Each of the foregoing motions shall
be of equal standing and none shall have priority over the others.
RULE 13.
Points of Personal Privilege
Any member may rise to a point of personal privilege provided that
a point of personal privilege shall be defined as questions affecting the
rights, reputation and conduct of members of the body in their
representative capacity.
A point of personal privilege must relate to persons as members of
the body or relate to charges against the character of a member which
charges, if true, would affect the rights of membership.
A member rising to a point of personal privilege must confine his
remarks to those matters which concern the member personally and
has only the right to defend himself and no other persons.
All other remarks made by a member shall be regarded as a point
of personal interest and when a member is recognized for a point of
personal interest such remarks shall in all cases be limited to not more
than five (5) minutes.
RULE 14.
Privileged Motions
When a question is under debate, no motion shall be entertained but
1. To adjourn.
2. To adjourn to a date and time certain.
3. To recede for a fixed period of time or to a time certain.
4. To take up order of the day.
5. To continue.
6. To lay on the table.
7. To adjourn debate to a certain day or to
adjourn debate.
8. To carry over.
9. To strike out the enacting clause.
10. To commit.
11. To amend. which several motions may only be made by the
Senator having the floor and shall have precedence in the order in
which they are above arranged, and the first eight (8) of which shall
be determined, without debate. A motion to lay an amendment on the
table being agreed to shall not have the effect of disposing of the main
question.
When a motion to adjourn debate is passed, the bill to which it applies
is subject to consideration on the next legislative day that the Senate
reaches that order of business. When a motion to adjourn debate to
a date certain is passed, the bill to which it applies is not subject to
consideration until the date so specified, if the Senate reaches that
order of business. If the Senate does not reach that order of business,
the bill remains in adjourn debate status.
A motion to ratify acts may only be made by the chairman or an
authorized member of the Chairmens' Committee and may be made
at any time.
RULE 19.
Standing and Special Committees of the Senate
The Standing Committees of the Senate shall be as follows:
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Banking and Insurance
Corrections and Penology
Education
Ethics
Finance
Fish, Game and Forestry
General Committee (General Committee will
encompass most of the relatively inactive committees, namely,
Atomic and Nuclear Energy, Federal Relations, Enrolled Acts,
Legislative Library, Military, Veterans Affairs, Privileges and
Elections, Rural Electrification, Social Services and Local
Legislation.)
Invitations
Judiciary
Labor, Commerce and Industry
Medical Affairs
Rules
Transportation (Aviation, Highways, Railroads and Shipping.)
(1) The membership of the above listed committees shall be not
less than five (5) nor more than eighteen (18) except as otherwise
provided herein. The Committee on Ethics shall be composed of ten
(10) members. Of the ten (10) members selecting a seat, five (5) shall
be a member of the majority party and five (5) shall be a member of
the minority party. The Committee on Invitations shall be limited to
not more than ten (10) members. The several committees shall have
such powers and duties as provided for in these rules.
(2) In addition to the above listed standing committees, there shall
be two (2) special committees to be known as the Committee on
Interstate Cooperation which shall be composed of five (5) members
and the Chairmens' Committee to be composed of the Chairmen of the
fourteen (14) Standing Committees. The Chairman of the Chairmens'
Committee shall in all cases be the most senior Senator serving
thereon.
(3) Members of the Senate shall be limited to serve on not more
than five (5) Standing Committees. Membership on the Committee on
Ethics, the Committee on Invitations and the Committee on Interstate
Cooperation are not included in limiting membership on Standing
Committees. No member shall chair more than one (1) standing
committee but may chair a standing committee and a special
committee concurrently.
(4) Members of the Senate shall make their committee selections
at the commencement of each session following the election of
Senators or at such session called for that purpose. For the members
to make their standing committee selections, the Clerk of the Senate
(or if the Clerk has not been elected, the Clerk of the Senate during
the preceding General Assembly or an assistant clerk) shall prepare a
roll of the Senate listing the members in the order of length of
continuous service, beginning with the longest continuous service.
Where two or more members have equal continuous service they shall
be listed in alphabetical order. The Clerk of the Senate shall then call
the roll. Each member, upon his name being called, shall select four
(4) unfilled standing committees on which he wishes to serve. The
roll call shall be repeated a second time with each member, upon his
name being called, selecting one additional unfilled standing
committee on which he wishes to serve. In the event any member is
unable to be present for selection of standing committees, that
member may authorize in writing any member of the Senate to make
selections in his behalf. This procedure shall be followed on the first
day of the session following the election of senators and at any other
session where the Senate proceeds to fill vacancies on a committee by
whatever reason caused. Any Senator who served on a standing
committee in the session immediately past shall have the right to serve
on such committee regardless of the Senator's seniority in the Senate,
unless the Senator shall elect to be removed from such committee or
unless the Senator is ineligible to reclaim a seat on the said committee
by reason of the limitations herein set forth.
(5) Membership on the Judiciary Committee excludes
membership on the Finance Committee and vice versa.
(6) Except as otherwise provided herein, in the selection of the
membership of the Senate Standing Committees, the seniority system
shall be retained so as to become a part of these rules and shall be
followed without regard to party affiliation.
(7) Committee seniority shall be determined by tenure within the
Committee rather than tenure within the Senate. When members with
seniority transfer to a new committee their seniority will be counted
ahead of newly-elected Senators.
(8) Where two or more Standing Committees are combined, initial
membership on such committees shall be based on tenure within the
Senate.
(9) In the election of the Chairmen of the Standing Committees,
the Senate shall proceed viva voce, severally, to elect the Chairman of
each Committee by a majority vote.
(10) When any subject or matter shall have been referred to a
Committee, any other subject or matter of a similar nature may, on
motion, be referred to such Committee.
(11) The membership on committees of conference and free
conference between the two Houses shall be determined by the
President of the Senate in consultation with the Chairman of the
committee of jurisdiction on the bill subject to conference. Provided
that the conference committee on any resolution affecting sine die
adjournment shall be appointed by the Chairmens' Committee.
(12) Time schedules for committee meetings. The following
schedule shall be the regular meeting times for standing and special
committees when the General Assembly is in session. The time and
date may be changed by the Chairmens' Committee and any additional
meeting may be called by individual committee chairmen.
1st and 3rd Tuesday 11:00 a.m.
The Chairmens Committee
Every Tuesday 3:00 p.m.
Finance and Judiciary
1st and 3rd Wednesday 9:00 a.m. - Education
10:00 a.m.
Fish, Game & Forestry
3:00 p.m. - Transportation
2nd and 4th Wednesday 9:00 a.m.
Medical Affairs and General
3:00 p.m.
Banking & Insurance
1st and 3rd Thursday 9:00 a.m.
Corrections & Penology
Agriculture & Natural
Resources
2nd and 4th Thursday 9:00 a.m.
Labor, Commerce & Industry
The Rules Committee, Ethics Committee, Interstate Cooperation
Committee, and the Invitations Committee shall meet at the call of the
Chair. Provided, however, that nothing herein shall prohibit the
Chairman of a standing committee from canceling a committee
meeting.
The above listed dates refer to calendar weeks as opposed to session
weeks. The date, time and place of any called meetings shall be
reported to the Clerk of the Senate who shall post such information in
the lobby of the Gressette Senate Office Building and the State House.
Notice of regular scheduled meetings, as well as called meetings, shall
be posted at least 24 hours in advance whenever feasible.
Be it further resolved that Section C of Rule 34 and Rule 47 in its
entirety are hereby deleted.
Be it further resolved that Rule 50 be amended to read as follows:
RULE 50
Invitations
All invitations which are extended to the entire membership
of the Senate must be referred to the Committee on Invitations for its
consideration. The Senate may not accept any invitations to
attend functions (social or otherwise) which are to be held at a club or
organization which does not admit as members persons of all races,
religions, colors, sexes, or national origins. All invitations so
received must be referred to the Committee on Invitations, and the
The Committee has the duty of determining whether or not
the function is to be held at a club or organization which does not
admit as members persons of all races, religions, colors, sexes, or
national origins. Individual senators may attend functions at any club
without being censored or prejudiced in any manner.
The Invitations Committee shall adopt such procedures and
requirements as it deems necessary to ensure that persons or
organizations who extend invitations to the Senate have fully complied
with the provisions of Act 248 of 1991 (The Ethics, Government
Accountability, and Campaign Reform Act of 1991). The Committee
shall make copies of any such procedure available upon request.
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