2013 -- H 5350

=======

LC01210

=======

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

____________

H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

AMENDING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE YEARS

2011 - 2012

     Introduced By: Representatives Ucci, and Corvese

     Date Introduced: February 07, 2013

     Referred To: House Rules

1-1

     RESOLVED, That Rules 14 and 17 of the rules for the House of Representatives

1-2

adopted by the House of Representatives at its January session, A.D. 2011, entitled “House

1-3

Resolution Adopting Rules of the House of Representatives for the Years 2011-2012,” be and are

1-4

hereby amended to read as follows:

1-5

     Rules Pertaining to Bills and Petitions

1-6

     (14)(a) No bill or resolution shall be considered or acted upon by the House if objection

1-7

is made unless the same has been considered by, reported, or recalled from a committee thereof,

1-8

from a joint committee, or by two-thirds (2/3) of members present. This rule shall not apply to a

1-9

House Bill of which the Senate duplicate has passed the House, and provided further that the

1-10

Speaker may at any time order a duplicate bill received from the Senate or a Senate bill after the

1-11

budget bill shall have passed the House, onto the calendar.

1-12

     (b) When a bill or resolution is postponed indefinitely, the same shall not be acted upon

1-13

again during the session.

1-14

     (c) No bill or resolution shall be passed or concurred in without two (2) readings. The

1-15

first reading shall take place by acceptance of the bill or resolution and publication in the House

1-16

Journal and the second after it has been placed upon the calendar. No bill or resolution upon the

1-17

calendar shall be taken up for consideration unless copies thereof, in the form in which it was

1-18

reported from committee, shall have been made available in print or electronically to the

1-19

members no later than the rise of the House on the legislative day before the day on which it shall

1-20

be in order for consideration. No matter of business on the calendar shall be considered upon its

2-1

merits prior to the legislative day after it shall have been placed on the calendar except by vote of

2-2

the majority of the members present and voting. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply

2-3

to Senate bills received by the House which are duplicates of House bills.

2-4

     (d) No more than fifty (50) public bills shall be considered upon their merits during any

2-5

one (1) legislative day and no bill shall be brought before the body after 11:30 p.m., provided,

2-6

however, that House bills returned from the Senate, Senate bills which are duplicates of and

2-7

identical to House bills, corporate charter revocation bills, and solemnization of marriage bills

2-8

and bills removed from the consent calendar may be considered notwithstanding this limit.

2-9

Provided further, that Senate bills which are duplicates of and identical to House bills, and House

2-10

bills returned from the Senate, may without objection be bundled and passed by one vote

2-11

provided that they are provided to members electronically prior to consideration. In the case of

2-12

bundled bills that contain identical and duplicate Senate bills, at the request of the Majority and

2-13

Minority Leaders the House journal will reflect that the vote of the members on the bill is

2-14

consistent with his or her vote on the duplicate House bill previously passed. Prior to the vote on

2-15

a duplicate bill, it should be stated for the record and be made known to the body that the bill is

2-16

identical.

2-17

     (e) The budget bill shall be prepared by Legislative Council. The budget bill shall not be

2-18

considered by the House unless copies thereof as approved by the finance committee have been

2-19

available to the members for seven (7) nine (9) calendar days. For the purposes of calculating the

2-20

seven (7) nine (9) calendar day requirement, the day of passage by the Finance Committee shall

2-21

not be counted but the scheduled day for floor action shall be included in the calculation. No floor

2-22

amendment which is intended to make a substantive change in the budget bill may be offered

2-23

other than by the Chair of the finance committee, except with the agreement of two-thirds (2/3) of

2-24

the members present. , unless the text thereof shall have been submitted to the Legislative

2-25

Council and made available to the members two (2) calendar days prior to the day on which the

2-26

budget bill shall be in order for consideration. Any amendment proposed to the budget by a

2-27

member shall be heard by the finance committee within the nine (9) calendar day requirement

2-28

period.

2-29

     (f) An amendment which was germane when prepared, and which was offered in a timely

2-30

fashion, but is no longer germane because of an intervening amendment, may, with the agreement

2-31

of the majority leader and minority leader, be revised orally or in writing by the sponsor without

2-32

renewed compliance with the requirements hereof.

2-33

     (g) After the 50th legislative day, bills or resolutions received back from the Senate with

2-34

amendments requiring House concurrence shall, with the agreement of the House sponsor and the

3-1

Majority Leader, be placed on the calendar in order for the day upon which they are received.

3-2

      (17)(a) No amendment to a pending bill or resolution may be considered by the House,

3-3

except by unanimous consent, unless the text of the amendment shall be on the desks of the

3-4

members in typed form or accessible electronically.

3-5

     (b) When an amendment proposed to any pending measure is laid on the table, it shall not

3-6

be construed to be a motion to table the measure on which the amendment has been offered.

3-7

     (c) The motion to lay on the table and the motion to take from the table shall be non-

3-8

debatable; provided, however, that the mover of an amendment shall be allowed two (2) minutes

3-9

to reply when a motion is made to table his or her amendment; whereupon the Speaker shall put

3-10

forward the question on the motion to table.

=======

LC01210

=======