Abramson HR No. 6
New House Rule (House Rule 1.5) prohibits a person who has been granted access to the
floor of the House Chamber from lobbying for or against or under any guise engage in any
activity in support of or in opposition to any legislative instrument or matter before the
House of Representatives or any committee thereof during session. Specifies that any such
activity shall be the cause for immediate confiscation and revocation of any badge issued to
such person and removal of such person from the House Chamber upon order of the
presiding officer. New House Rule does not apply to legislators nor to any House employee
who is prohibited from lobbying pursuant to existing House Rule (House Rule 3.4).
Existing House Rule (House Rule 6.8) requires the recommittal of certain legislative
instruments including constitutional amendments (Civil Law & Procedure); resolutions
proposing certain studies (House and Governmental Affairs); the Capital Outlay Bill
(Appropriations); the MFP concurrent resolution (Appropriations); specials funds
(Appropriations); Senate instruments with a fiscal cost of $500,000 or more
(Appropriations); Senate instruments with a net decrease in fees or a net increase in fees or
taxes of $500,000 or more (Ways & Means); public records exceptions (House and
Governmental Affairs); and provisions to join an interstate compact (House and
Governmental Affairs).
New House Rule adds requirement that a bill which calls a special election or which
proposes to submit a question or proposition to the voters, if reported by the committee of
first referral, to be recommitted to the Committee on Civil Law & Procedure. Adds a
specific provision that the committee shall study all legislative instruments (joint resolutions
and bills) recommitted to it to ensure that the ballot language is comprised of simple,
unbiased, concise, and easily understood language which conforms to all applicable laws.
Further required that the committee review the proposed election date at which the
proposition or question is to be submitted to the voters to ensure maximum voter turnout, to
the extent practicable.
Prior House Rules provided for the local and consent calendar, the major state calendar, and
the regular calendar and provided for requirements for placement of instruments on such
calendars, methods for removal from such calendars, the clerk's duty to maintain such
calendars, and the enumeration of instruments on such calendars on the order of the day.
New House Rule removes such provisions.
Effective May 29, 2013.
(Amends House Rule 2.10(A)(4) and (12), 6.8(A), and 6.11(A)(3) and (4); Adds House Rule
1.5; Repeals House Rules 6.11(A)(5), 8.20, 8.21, 8.22, 8.23, 8.24, and 8.25)