It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Sections 22-3-2 and 22-3-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 22-3 entitled "Organization of General Assembly" are hereby amended to read as follows:

22-3-2. Organization of senate -- Clerks. [Contingent effective date -- See note.] Organization of senate - - Secretary of the Senate and reading clerk. [Contingent effective date - See note.] At the time specified in section 22-3-17, the senate shall be called to order by the lieutenant governor, or, in the lieutenant governor's absence, by the secretary of state. The roll of members as appears by the list of senators shall then be called by the clerk, and the list shall be corrected by the secretary of state as provided above. In the absence of the lieutenant governor, the senate shall then proceed to elect one of their members to preside. If twenty-five (25) of the members whose names appear upon the lists are present, but not otherwise, the senate shall then organize by electing a reading clerk and a recording clerk, secretary of the senate and a reading clerk and shall forthwith notify the house of representatives that it is duly organized and ready to proceed with the business of the session. The clerks secretary and clerk shall be employees of the legislative department under the jurisdiction and control of the senate, and shall hold office for two (2) years, and until their successors are elected and qualified. The unexpended balance of the appropriation for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, heretofore allocated to the office of the secretary of state to pay the wages and other benefits of his or her designee as secretary of the senate shall, within ten (10) days after the effective date of this act, be transferred to the joint committee on legislative services for the purpose of paying the wages and other benefits of the recording clerk.

22-3-3. Organization of house of representatives -- Speaker -- Clerks -- At the time specified in section 22-3-17, the house of representatives shall be called to order by the senior member in continuous service present from Newport, and if there be two (2) or more members from Newport of equal seniority of service then by that one of them that shall be senior in age, and if there is no member present from Newport, by the senior member of the house in continuous service present, and, if there be two (2) or more members of equal seniority of service, then by that one of them who shall be senior in age. The roll of members as appears by the list of representatives shall then be called by the reading clerk, as provided above. If it shall appear that fifty-one (51) of the members whose names are upon the list are present, but not otherwise, the member calling the house of representatives to order as provided above shall call for nominations for the office of speaker, and shall receive the ballots of the members whose names are on the list for that office, and after the ballots have been counted by him or her and by the clerks of the house, he or she shall declare the result, and the balloting shall continue until some person shall receive a majority of all the ballots, and the person receiving that majority shall be the speaker of the house for the ensuing term of two (2) years. The member so calling the house to order shall not receive, entertain, or put to vote any motion or question whatever, or point of order, while acting as presiding officer, and any member violating any of the foregoing provisions of this section, or allowing any person whose name is not upon the list to participate in the organization of the house or to cast any ballot for speaker, or who shall allow to be used in the organization of the house any list of members not prepared and corrected as provided in this chapter, shall be imprisoned not less than one year nor more than three (3) years; and any clerk or other person who shall use any such list in the organization of the house, or who shall fraudulently alter, secrete, or destroy any list of members, prepared or prepared and corrected, as provided above, shall be punished by like imprisonment. Immediately upon the election of a speaker, the house of representatives shall proceed to elect by ballot a reading clerk a clerk of the House and a recording clerk, and upon the election of a speaker and clerks as herein provided, the house of representatives shall be deemed to be organized and shall forthwith notify the senate that it is duly organized and ready to proceed with the business of the session. The clerks shall hold office for two (2) years, and until their successors are elected and qualified.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.