Assembly Resolution No. 848

BY: M. of A. Barclay

amending section 2 of Rule III of the Assembly
Rules, in relation to the timely bill introduction
after conclusion of session; amending section 5 of
Rule III of the Assembly Rules, in relation to the
introduction of resolutions; and amending section 7
of Rule III of the Assembly Rules, in relation to
the reading of bills

RESOLVED, That subdivision f of section 2 of Rule III of the
Assembly Rules is amended by adding a new paragraph 3 to read as
follows:

(3) Any Assembly bill introduced in the first year of the term of the
Assembly after the last day of the scheduled end of the legislative
session as established by the annual legislative session calendar, shall
be assigned a number within five business days after being presented by
the introducer to the Index Clerk.

RESOLVED, That section 5 of Rule III of the Assembly Rules is
amended to read as follows:

§ 5. Resolutions.

a. Original resolutions, concurrent or otherwise other than privileged
resolutions may be introduced by a member under the proper order of
business on or before the Monday of the week four weeks before the
scheduled end of the legislative session as established by the annual
legislative calendar in the second year of the term of the Assembly.
After such date in the second year no such resolution shall be
introduced except by the Committee on Rules or by message from the
Senate or, with the consent of the Speaker, by members elected at a
special election who take office on or after the last Tuesday in May.
Such resolutions shall be in quadruplicate and bear the name of the
introducer and shall be referred to a standing committee for
consideration and report. No such resolution may be introduced unless
copies thereof first shall have been furnished to the Speaker, the
Majority Leader and the Minority Leader. Before the House may vote on a
resolution, copies of such resolution shall be placed on each member's
desk three days prior to such vote in written or electronic format. The
Speaker and the Minority Leader may waive the three day requirement.

b. The following resolutions and motions relating thereto shall be
considered privileged and their presentation and consideration shall be
in order under any order of business:
(1) resolutions recalling a bill from the Senate;
(2) resolutions returning a bill to the Senate;
(3) resolutions relating to the disposition of matters immediately
before the House;
(4) resolutions relating to the business of the day including
adjournment or recess;
(5) resolutions relating to the impeachment of State or judicial
officers;

(6) resolutions relating to printing bills, documents or chapter
slips;
(7) resolutions relating to the reports of joint legislative
committees; and
(8) resolutions in memoriam or honorific in nature, provided,
however, that such resolutions shall be placed on each member's desk in
either written or electronic format prior to their consideration.

c. Messages from the Senate communicating a concurrent resolution
shall, if objection is made to immediate consideration, be referred to
the appropriate committee with power to report at any time.

d. Concurrent resolutions proposing amendments to the Constitution of
the State and concurrent resolutions ratifying proposed amendments to
the Constitution of the United States shall, for all legislative
purposes, be deemed to be and treated as bills.

e. All resolutions calling for or leading to expenditures, except
resolutions for printing extra copies of bills, documents and chapter
slips, shall be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and all
other resolutions shall be referred to the appropriate standing
committee or to an assembly calendar, as the Speaker may designate.

f. All resolutions shall be adopted by a majority vote of the members
present and voting, provided, however, concurrent resolutions proposing
amendments to the Constitution of the State or ratifying amendments to
the Constitution of the United States and resolutions calling for or
leading to the expenditure of money shall be adopted by a vote of a
majority of all the members elected to the Assembly.

RESOLVED, That section 7 of Rule III of the Assembly Rules is
amended to read as follows:

§ 7. Reading of bills. a. Every bill shall receive three separate
readings, and on three different days, previous to its passage, except
when ordered to a third reading pursuant to paragraph two of subdivision
f of section two of this Rule, by unanimous consent or when made a
special order, or when accompanied by a message of necessity pursuant to
section [14] fourteen of Article III of the Constitution. No message of
necessity shall be accepted from the Governor unless at least two-thirds
of the members of the House have approved the message.

b. Bills placed on the order of second reading, as provided for in
subdivision g of section six of Rule IV, shall be subject to debate
before the motion to order them to a third reading is entertained.
One-half hour shall be allowed for such debate, but no person shall
speak more than fifteen minutes, except by consent of the House. The
main question, however, if ordered, shall be on the advancement of the
bill; but when amendments are pending the question shall first be taken
upon such amendments in their inverse order.

c. All bills on the order of second reading shall be ordered to third
reading unless otherwise ordered pursuant to subdivision b of this
section or pursuant to paragraph one of subdivision b of section ten of
Rule IV.

d. A

bill shall be considered automatically advanced to third reading once
it has been on the printed Calendar on the order of second reading for
at least one legislative day on that order, except where made a special
order by report of the Committee on Rules, in which case it may be
considered on second and third reading on the same day.

e. In all cases where unanimous consent is asked for advancing a bill
or entertaining a motion or resolution out of its order, it shall be the
duty of the Speaker to proclaim such request and determine if such
consent will be granted.

f. A bill appearing on the Calendar may be "starred" by or at the
request of the introducer, whereupon all further action on such bill
shall be suspended, although it retains its place on the Calendar. Other
than for the purpose of amendment or recommittal, a star may not be
removed from a bill until one day after the request therefor. A bill on
any order of third reading which has been laid aside by or at the
request of the introducer on three separate days shall be automatically
starred.

g. Substitution of Bills. Where there is a Senate bill in a standing
committee and the identical Assembly bill is on the order of second or
any order of third reading, the Senate bill may be substituted for the
Assembly bill upon a motion by, or on behalf of, the introducer and a
vote of a majority of the members present and voting. The motion to
substitute may also be made on an identical Assembly bill which has been
passed, recalled, vote reconsidered and restored to third reading.