2019 -- S 0618

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LC001732

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

AMENDING THE RULES OF THE SENATE

     

     Introduced By: Senators Nesselbush, and Bell

     Date Introduced: March 14, 2019

     Referred To: Senate Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight

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     RESOLVED, That the Rules of the Senate as adopted on March 30th, 2017 as Senate

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Resolution 531 Substitute A, as amended, be and they are hereby amended as follows, to wit:

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     By deleting therefrom Rule 2.1 as it presently appears, to wit:

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     2.1 Presiding Officer.

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     The president of the senate shall, unless absent from the chamber, be the presiding officer

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of the sessions of the senate. In the absence of the president from the chair, the president pro

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tempore shall preside over the senate. The president may appoint a member of the senate to

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temporarily preside over the senate, but in no event shall such appointment continue beyond the

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legislative day on which it is made. In case of a vacancy in the offices of president, president pro

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tempore and the deputy president pro tempore, or in case all said officers are absent at the hour to

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which the senate stands adjourned, the reading clerk shall call the senate to order, and shall

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preside until a president pro tempore is elected, which election shall be the first order of business.

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     and inserting in place thereof the following, to wit:

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     Senate Rule 2.1 Senate Officers.

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     The president of the senate shall, unless absent from the chamber, be the presiding officer

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of the sessions of the senate. In the absence of the president from the chair, the president pro

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tempore shall preside over the senate. The president may appoint a member of the senate to

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temporarily preside over the senate, but in no event shall such appointment continue beyond the

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legislative day on which it is made. In case all said officers are absent at the hour to which the

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senate stands adjourned, the reading clerk shall call the senate to order, and shall preside until a

 

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president pro tempore is elected, which election shall be the first order of business.

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     Resignation.

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     If, for any reason there is a vacancy in the offices of the Senate president, president pro

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tempore or the deputy president pro tempore he or she, immediately or within three (3) days, shall

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notify the membership of said resignation and its effective date. If the president, president pro

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tempore or the deputy president pro tempore resigns, but does not or cannot notify the

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membership within three (3) days, the chairperson of the Committee on Rules shall notify the

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membership of the resignation immediately or within three (3) days. If the chairperson of the

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Committee on Rules fails to so act within three (3) days from the time the vacancy occurs, the

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vice chairperson of the Committee on Rules shall act instead, following the procedure set forth in

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this rule.

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     Call for Party Caucuses.

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     In the event of a vacancy in the offices of president, president pro tempore or the deputy

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president pro tempore, the chairperson of the Committee on Rules shall call for a caucus of the

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majority party for the purpose of nominating and endorsing a candidate(s) to fill any vacant

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office(s).

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     A caucus of the majority party shall be held at the State Capitol (or other suitable venue)

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not less than ten (10) days nor more than thirty (30) days from the effective date of any vacancy.

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All caucus voting shall be by paper ballot, and the votes shall be tallied by the secretary of the

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senate and the reading clerk. If no one candidate receives a majority of the votes, the secretary of

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the senate and the reading clerk shall call for another round of voting. The chair of the Committee

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on Rules shall provide not less than ten (10) days' notice of the caucus in writing to the

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membership. If the chair of the Committee on Rules fails to act within three (3) days from the

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effective date of the vacancy, the vice chair of the Committee on Rules shall act instead,

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following the procedure set forth in this rule. Any person selected to fill any vacancy pursuant to

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this rule holds the office until another caucus is duly called for the purpose of electing officers of

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the Senate.

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     The caucus must adopt caucus rules by a majority vote, but all caucus rules must be

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consistent with either Robert’s or Masons Rules of Order, as determined by a majority of the

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caucus.

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     Nominees Voted On the Floor.

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     Caucus nominees must be approved by a majority vote of Senators on the floor, via

 

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ballot, as pre-scribed in § 22-3-2.

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