2013 -- H 5294

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LC00814

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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

AMENDING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

     Introduced By: Representatives Jacquard, Guthrie, Nunes, MacBeth, and Dickinson

     Date Introduced: February 06, 2013

     Referred To: House Rules

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     RESOLVED, That Rule 14 of the rules for the House of Representatives adopted by the

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House of Representatives at its January session, A.D. 2011, entitled “House Resolution Adopting

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Rules of the House of Representatives for the Years 2011-2012,? and subsequently adopted by

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the House of Representatives at its January session, A.D. 2013 as its temporary rules, be and is

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hereby amended to read as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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again during the session.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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and bills removed from the consent calendar may be considered notwithstanding this limit. 10:00

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pm. No bill or legislation shall be heard by the House after 10:00 pm on any legislative day, and a

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single legislative day of the House shall not extend beyond 10:00 pm. The provisions of this

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10:00 pm limit shall not be subject to suspension by the House; provided, that this 10:00 pm limit

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shall not apply to the meetings of committees. Sessions of the House during the legislative

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session shall convene at 4:00 pm and shall adjourn by 10:00 pm; provided, however, that the

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House may provide by resolution that the House convene at a different hour and/or another place,

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and provided further, that all evening sessions shall adjourn by 10:00 pm. Provided further, that

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Senate bills which are duplicates of and identical to House bills, and House bills returned from

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the Senate, may without objection be bundled and passed by one vote provided that they are

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provided to members electronically prior to consideration. In the case of bundled bills that

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contain identical and duplicate Senate bills, at the request of the Majority and Minority Leaders

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the House journal will reflect that the vote of the members on the bill is consistent with his or her

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vote on the duplicate House bill previously passed. Prior to the vote on a duplicate bill, it should

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be stated for the record and be made known to the body that the bill is identical.

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

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

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

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(7) day requirement, the day of passage by the Finance Committee shall not be counted but the

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scheduled day for floor action shall be included in the calculation. No amendment which is

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intended to make a substantive change in the budget bill may be offered other than by the Chair

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of the finance committee, except with the agreement of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present,

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unless the text thereof shall have been submitted to the Legislative Council and made available to

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the members two (2) calendar days prior to the day on which the budget bill shall be in order for

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consideration.

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

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

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

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renewed compliance with the requirements hereof.

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

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

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

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LC00814

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