Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0594 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2025 -- S 0594
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
15	15	ADOPTING THE RULES OF THE SENATE FOR YEARS 2025-2026
16	16	Introduced By: Senator Mark P. McKenney
17	17	Date Introduced: February 28, 2025
18	18	Referred To: Senate Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight
19	19
20	20
21	21	RESOLVED, That the following rules be and the same are hereby adopted as the rules of 1
22	22	the Senate for the years 2025-2026. 2
23	23	SECTION 1. 3
24	24	DEFINITIONS 4
25	25	As used in these rules, the following terms are defined as follows: 5
26	26	1.1 "Bill" shall include any act, resolve, resolution or petition which comes before the 6
27	27	senate for consideration. 7
28	28	1.2 "Calendar Day" is that period of twenty-four (24) hours between 12:00 a.m. and 8
29	29	12:00 midnight. 9
30	30	1.3 "Day" as used in these rules is intended and shall be construed to mean one full 10
31	31	legislative day of the same session. 11
32	32	1.4 "Deputy President Pro Tempore" is a member of the senate elected to that position, 12
33	33	who may preside over the senate in the absence of the president of the senate and the president 13
34	34	pro tempore. 14
35	35	1.5 "Legislative Day" is a period of time which begins when the senate meets after an 15
36	36	adjournment and ends when the senate next adjourns. A legislative day is not defined by, or 16
37	37	confined to, a calendar day. 17
38	38	1.6 "Limited-Directed Proxy" means a singular vote on a piece of legislation or matter 18
39	39	before the senate conducted in accordance with rule 8.13. 19
40	40	1.7 "President" is a member of the senate elected to that position, by roll call vote, on 20
41	41
42	42
43	43	LC002312 - Page 2 of 31
44	44	the first day of session in odd numbered years, or upon a vacancy due to the death, resignation or 1
45	45	removal of the senator serving in that capacity. The president shall preside over the senate in 2
46	46	accordance with these Rules. 3
47	47	1.8 "President Pro Tempore" is a member of the senate elected to that position, who 4
48	48	presides over the senate in the absence of the president of the senate. 5
49	49	1.9 "Prime Sponsor" shall be that senator whose signature first appears upon the bill. 6
50	50	1.10 "Public Bill" shall include all bills except: those which pertain to a particular city or 7
51	51	town; those which relate to an individual's pension and retirement; those which pertain to 8
52	52	restoration of corporation charters, and to amendments to authorized holdings by nonprofit 9
53	53	organizations of a charitable, civic, library or like nature; resolutions memorializing congress, or 10
54	54	of congratulations, or expressing sympathy of condolences, and all resolutions requesting the 11
55	55	several departments of state government to grant some privilege, consideration or relief. 12
56	56	1.11 "Reading Clerk" is the person elected to that position under provisions of section 13
57	57	22-3-2 of the general laws who shall, at the direction of the presiding officer, read to the chamber 14
58	58	any communication to the senate, resolution, bill or other document and who shall, at the 15
59	59	direction of the presiding officer, date the bills and other documents before the senate, date 16
60	60	recording thereon the action taken and/or the disposition thereof. The reading clerk also shall, at 17
61	61	the direction of the senate, amend any bill and transmit any bill to the house of representatives 18
62	62	and perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the president of the 19
63	63	senate. 20
64	64	1.12 "Secretary of the Senate" is the person elected to that position under provisions of 21
65	65	section 22-3-2 of the general laws who shall, at the direction of the presiding officer, record the 22
66	66	proceedings of the senate in a journal, signing said journal as secretary of the senate, and who 23
67	67	shall, upon their referral, deliver bills and other documents to their respective committees, hold 24
68	68	and maintain in good order any bill assigned to the calendar or the consent calendar, and transmit 25
69	69	any bill or document to the governor. The secretary of the senate also shall perform those duties 26
70	70	prescribed in other sections hereof and those which may from time to time be prescribed by the 27
71	71	president of the senate. 28
72	72	1.13 "The Rise of the Senate" occurs upon the conclusion of senate floor business and 29
73	73	the exact time varies by the amount of business to be conducted on a particular legislative day. 30
74	74	1.14 "The Senate Chamber" or "Chamber" shall include the floor, the corridor behind 31
75	75	the floor, the cloak room and the senate lounge. 32
76	76	1.15 "Vote" or "Majority Vote" as used herein shall mean a majority of members 33
77	77	present and voting unless specifically stated otherwise. 34
78	78
79	79
80	80	LC002312 - Page 3 of 31
81	81	SECTION 2. 1
82	82	PRESIDING OFFICER 2
83	83	2.1 Presiding Officer. 3
84	84	The president of the senate shall, unless absent from the chamber, be the presiding officer 4
85	85	of the sessions of the senate. In the absence of the president from the chair, the president pro 5
86	86	tempore shall preside over the senate. The president may appoint a member of the senate to 6
87	87	temporarily preside over the senate, but in no event shall such appointment continue beyond the 7
88	88	legislative day on which it is made. In case of a vacancy in the offices of president, president pro 8
89	89	tempore and the deputy president pro tempore, or in case all said officers are absent at the hour to 9
90	90	which the senate stands adjourned, the reading clerk shall call the senate to order, and shall 10
91	91	preside until a president pro tempore is elected, which election shall be the first order of business. 11
92	92	2.2 Duties of the Presiding Officer. 12
93	93	The presiding officer shall preserve order and decorum in and about the senate chamber 13
94	94	during the senate session in order to prevent interference with the senate's business and 14
95	95	deliberations. The presiding officer may speak in preference to the senators, shall decide all 15
96	96	questions of order without debate and shall declare all votes. The assignment of bills to 16
97	97	committee shall be at the discretion of the president of the senate subject to section 4.4; provided, 17
98	98	however, that the president of the senate may delegate such authority to the majority leader of the 18
99	99	senate. 19
100	100	2.3 Appealing the Ruling of Presiding Officer. 20
101	101	Any senator may appeal the ruling of the presiding officer by rising as soon as the ruling 21
102	102	is made, even though another has the floor and, without waiting to be recognized by the chair, 22
103	103	stating, "I appeal the ruling of the chair," and upon such appeal being seconded, the presiding 23
104	104	officer shall immediately and without debate put the question, "Shall the ruling of the chair be 24
105	105	sustained?", which question shall be decided by majority vote of the senators present and voting. 25
106	106	Once sustained, the ruling shall not be subject to another appeal on the same point. 26
107	107	SECTION 3. 27
108	108	ORDER OF BUSINESS ON THE SENATE FLOOR 28
109	109	3.1 Commencement of Daily Session. 29
110	110	The presiding officer shall take the chair at the hour to which the senate shall have 30
111	111	convened, call the senators to order, and record attendance by electronic roll call. A quorum shall 31
112	112	consist of a majority of the members elected. Upon late arrival, at any time prior to the 32
113	113	adjournment of the senate, a senator may report his or her presence to the secretary of the senate 33
114	114	who shall record the senator's attendance in the journal. 34
115	115
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118	118	3.2 Reading the Journal. 1
119	119	The reading clerk of the senate shall, at the commencement of the session of each 2
120	120	legislative day, read the proceedings of the previous legislative day, unless such reading is 3
121	121	dispensed with by a majority of the senators present and voting. 4
122	122	3.3 Daily Business. 5
123	123	After the reading of the proceedings of the previous legislative day the order of business 6
124	124	shall be as follows unless otherwise ordered by the President of the Senate: 7
125	125	(1) Introduction of guests 8
126	126	(2) Communications 9
127	127	(3) Reports of committees 10
128	128	(4) Introduction and reference of new business 11
129	129	(5) Unfinished business 12
130	130	(6) Consideration of house transmittals 13
131	131	(7) Consent calendar 14
132	132	(8) Calendar 15
133	133	(9) Introduction of guests 16
134	134	(10) Personal privilege 17
135	135	(11) Address of important matters 18
136	136	(12) Daily adjournment 19
137	137	3.4 Final Adjournment. 20
138	138	The last order of business of the annual session of the senate shall be the vote in 21
139	139	conformity with the resolution of final adjournment or recess which must be carried by a majority 22
140	140	vote of the senators present and voting. 23
141	141	3.5 Time for Sessions. 24
142	142	Unless otherwise provided for by agreement of president of the senate, the majority 25
143	143	leader and minority leader, sessions of the senate shall convene at 4:00 p.m. All sessions must 26
144	144	adjourn at or before 11:00 p.m. 27
145	145	SECTION 4. 28
146	146	ACTS AND RESOLUTIONS 29
147	147	4.1 Form of Bills. 30
148	148	Every bill offered which is intended to amend any part or parts of an existing statute, any 31
149	149	part or parts intended to be stricken shall be contained in the bill and by appropriate mechanical 32
150	150	mark, struck through. All new matter contained in the bill shall be underlined, underscored or 33
151	151	printed in italics so that the new matter shall be easily discerned. If the bill contains all new 34
152	152
153	153
154	154	LC002312 - Page 5 of 31
155	155	matter constituting a totally new law or a totally new section, and the bill itself so indicates, no 1
156	156	underlining, underscoring or italics shall be required. Every bill containing a commission to 2
157	157	which appointments shall be made shall be indicated in the title of such bill. 3
158	158	No bill without a body or substantive content shall be introduced at any time, nor shall a 4
159	159	substitute bill be accepted which is not consistent with the title and substance of the original bill. 5
160	160	All bills introduced on behalf of any general officer, branch, department or division of 6
161	161	state government shall state on the face sheet thereof with the title of the general officer or the 7
162	162	name of the branch, department or division on whose behalf the bill is introduced. 8
163	163	A prime sponsor may withdraw a bill or resolution previously introduced at any time 9
164	164	prior to its consideration by a committee, upon written request to the secretary of the senate. 10
165	165	Other than the prime sponsor of a bill, a senator may elect in writing to the secretary of 11
166	166	the senate to have his or her name disassociated from the bill and the secretary of the senate shall 12
167	167	immediately notify the committee clerk to which the bill is assigned. 13
168	168	All bills shall be processed through legislative council. 14
169	169	4.2 Explanation of Bills. 15
170	170	There shall be attached to each bill a brief explanation thereof and the explanation of 16
171	171	such bill shall indicate the proposed changes, and/or the statute or existing law which such bill 17
172	172	purports to amend. 18
173	173	4.3 Copies of Bills. 19
174	174	Each bill introduced shall be accompanied by not less than eight (8) copies thereof, with 20
175	175	said copies delivered by the secretary of the senate to the office of the president of the senate for 21
176	176	subsequent distribution as determined by the president of the senate. Nothing in this section shall 22
177	177	prevent a senator from obtaining a preliminary draft of legislation for his or her review prior to 23
178	178	introduction. 24
179	179	4.4 Filing with Secretary of the Senate 25
180	180	All senators desiring to introduce a bill shall file the bill with the secretary of the senate 26
181	181	not later than the time at which the presiding officer calls the senate to order. The secretary of the 27
182	182	senate shall transmit to the office of the president of the senate all bills on the legislative day of 28
183	183	their introduction. On the day of introduction, the president shall, upon adjournment, assign bills 29
184	184	to committee. The secretary of the senate shall cause all bills introduced to be published in the 30
185	185	senate journal for that legislative day. Any senator may object to the committee assignment of 31
186	186	any bill on the first or second legislative day following the bill's introduction. Upon objection 32
187	187	being made, the presiding officer shall assign the bill to the committee requested by the senator 33
188	188	making the objection; provided, however, that if another senator objects to any assignment or 34
189	189
190	190
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192	192	proposed assignment of the bill, then the presiding officer shall call for a vote of the senate on 1
193	193	any motion for assignment which has been made and seconded, such motion requiring a majority 2
194	194	vote of those Senators present and voting for assignment to a particular committee. First reading 3
195	195	of all such bills and resolutions shall be by acceptance of the bill and the committee assignment. 4
196	196	4.5 Deadline for Introductions. 5
197	197	No public bill shall be introduced in the senate after the Thursday preceding the winter 6
198	198	recess of each session, except with the consent of the President of the Senate. Except as otherwise 7
199	199	expressly directed by the president of the senate, all requests for the preparation of public bills 8
200	200	shall be submitted to the offices of Legislative Council no later than the close of business on the 9
201	201	Friday next preceding the bill-introduction deadline set forth herein. 10
202	202	4.6 Omnibus Claims Against the State. 11
203	203	Claims against the state in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or less shall not 12
204	204	be presented in bill or resolution form, but shall be submitted to the clerk of the joint committee 13
205	205	on accounts and claims in writing upon a form approved by the chairperson of the joint 14
206	206	committee on accounts and claims. Any claims approved by the joint committee shall be 15
207	207	submitted in the form of an omnibus bill which will be placed upon the consent calendar. 16
208	208	4.7 Resolutions of Congratulations and Condolences. 17
209	209	Notwithstanding any other provisions of these rules, all resolutions of congratulations or 18
210	210	expressing sympathy or condolences except with respect to former and present members of the 19
211	211	general assembly, general officers, members of the judiciary and elected state or federal officials, 20
212	212	shall be placed on the consent calendar, unless otherwise ordered by the president of the senate. 21
213	213	Said resolution of congratulations and condolences shall not require concurrent action; upon 22
214	214	passage, shall be forthwith transmitted to the secretary of state, and an appropriate notice of the 23
215	215	action of the senate thereon shall be forwarded, as requested in the resolution, by the secretary of 24
216	216	state. One formal resolution may include all the expressions of sympathy or congratulations of the 25
217	217	several senators. 26
218	218	4.8 Enactment of Laws. 27
219	219	The concurrence of the two houses in the same session shall be necessary for the 28
220	220	enactment of all bills except for senate resolutions. 29
221	221	4.9 Electronic Availability of Public Bills--Requirements. 30
222	222	4.9-1 Public Bills. 31
223	223	No public bill shall be considered upon its merits unless it has been electronically 32
224	224	available to the members at least two (2) calendar days prior to its consideration on the merits, 33
225	225	except any public bill passed by the senate and amended by the house, provided that the amended 34
226	226
227	227
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229	229	public bill shall be electronically available to the senators before consideration. 1
230	230	4.9-2 Committee Amendments. 2
231	231	Except by majority vote, no public bill amended in a committee of the senate shall be 3
232	232	considered upon the senate floor unless it has been electronically available to the senators. 4
233	233	4.9-3 Materially Altered Bills. 5
234	234	Whenever a committee shall have determined to report a bill which has been materially 6
235	235	altered by the committee, the committee chair shall forthwith provide for printing and electronic 7
236	236	reproduction of the same. In the event that a bill is not deemed to have been materially altered, 8
237	237	which determination shall be made by the committee chair, a bill shall be printed only upon the 9
238	238	request of the president of the senate, the majority leader or the minority leader. Nothing in these 10
239	239	rules shall preclude the committee chair, with a majority of the committee, to change an act to a 11
240	240	resolution or a resolution to an act on a substitute bill. 12
241	241	4.10 Copies of Bills and Voting Records. 13
242	242	The secretary of the senate shall retain in the files of the senate as many copies of each 14
243	243	bill as the secretary of the senate deems necessary and the voting records on each question. 15
244	244	4.11 Requests for Funding of Community Service Objectives. 16
245	245	Requests for the funding of community service objectives grants shall not be presented in 17
246	246	bill or resolution form, but shall be submitted to the senate fiscal advisor in writing upon a form 18
247	247	approved by the chairperson of the senate committee on finance. 19
248	248	4.12 Death or Resignation of a Member. 20
249	249	In the event that any member or member-elect shall die or resign after filing and before 21
250	250	consideration by committee, the death or resignation of said member or member-elect shall 22
251	251	constitute automatic withdrawal of said bill or resolution and automatic withdrawal of the number 23
252	252	of said bill or resolution and said number shall not be used again during the legislative session; 24
253	253	provided, however, that where a bill or resolution shall have had more than one sponsor, said bill 25
254	254	or resolution and number shall not be withdrawn and the member whose name appears second on 26
255	255	said bill or resolution shall become the prime sponsor. 27
256	256	4.13 Limitation on Number of Bills Introduced. 28
257	257	No Senator shall introduce more than twenty-five (25) public bills during the annual 29
258	258	session except with the permission of the President of the Senate. 30
259	259	SECTION 5. 31
260	260	COMMITTEES 32
261	261	5.1 Standing Committees. 33
262	262	The senate shall have the following standing committees: 34
263	263
264	264
265	265	LC002312 - Page 8 of 31
266	266	1. Committee on Judiciary 1
267	267	2. Committee on Finance 2
268	268	3. Committee on Housing and Municipal Government 3
269	269	4. Committee on Labor and Gaming 4
270	270	5. Committee on Special Legislation and Veterans’ Affairs 5
271	271	6. Committee on Health and Human Services 6
272	272	7. Committee on Education 7
273	273	8. Committee on Commerce 8
274	274	9. Committee on Environment and Agriculture 9
275	275	10. Committee on Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight 10
276	276	11. Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies 11
277	277	5.1-1 Committee on Judiciary. 12
278	278	It shall be the duty of the committee on judiciary to consider the appointments of the 13
279	279	governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all 14
280	280	legislation and matters which affect the penal code, judicial system, ethics, open meetings, access 15
281	281	to public records and election laws of the state, to maintain oversight over the application, 16
282	282	execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction, expulsion of a member and to consider 17
283	283	such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate. In the matters of judicial appointments, 18
284	284	expulsion of a member and those public hearings designated by the committee chair, all 19
285	285	testimony shall be under oath and preserved by stenographic record which shall be transcribed 20
286	286	upon the order of the chair. 21
287	287	5.1-2 Committee on Finance. 22
288	288	It shall be the duty of the committee on finance to consider the appointments of the 23
289	289	governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all 24
290	290	legislation and matters relative to revenue, appropriations and taxes, to inquire into the state of 25
291	291	the public debt, to report from time to time its opinion thereon and such propositions relative 26
292	292	thereto as it shall deem expedient, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and 27
293	293	operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred 28
294	294	to it by the senate. The chair of the committee shall be authorized to appoint as many sub- 29
295	295	committees as he or she deems necessary, including, but not limited to, a sub-committee on 30
296	296	veterans affairs. 31
297	297	5.1-3 Committee on Housing and Municipal Government. 32
298	298	It shall be the duty of the committee on housing and municipal government to consider 33
299	299	the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent 34
300	300
301	301
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303	303	of the senate and all legislation and matters affecting housing, municipal government, 1
304	304	transportation, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws 2
305	305	within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate. 3
306	306	5.1-4 Committee on Labor and Gaming. 4
307	307	It shall be the duty of the committee on labor to consider the appointments of the 5
308	308	governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all 6
309	309	legislation and matters relating to gaming issues, constitutional amendments relating to gaming 7
310	310	issues, the workers' compensation and labor laws of the state, to maintain oversight over the 8
311	311	application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other 9
312	312	matters as may be referred to it by the senate. 10
313	313	5.1-5 Committee on Special Legislation and Veterans’ Affairs. 11
314	314	It shall be the duty of the committee on special legislation and veterans’ affairs to 12
315	315	consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice 13
316	316	and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters relating to constitutional amendments, 14
317	317	liquor laws, license plates, veterans’ affairs, domestic animals, commissions and resolutions, to 15
318	318	maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction 16
319	319	and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate. 17
320	320	5.1-6 Committee on Health and Human Services. 18
321	321	It shall be the duty of the committee on health and human services to consider the 19
322	322	appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of 20
323	323	the senate and to consider all reports of the departments of health, of human services, of 21
324	324	behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, of children, youth and families, 22
325	325	and of elderly affairs; to consider all legislation and matters expanding or defining further areas 23
326	326	of responsibility of the foregoing and to consider all legislation and matters relative to public 24
327	327	health and welfare; health care and human service access and quality; health and human service 25
328	328	professional standards of practice, and facility standards of care; to maintain oversight over the 26
329	329	application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction; and to consider such other 27
330	330	matters as may be referred to it by the senate. 28
331	331	5.1-7 Committee on Education. 29
332	332	It shall be the duty of the committee on education to consider the appointments of the 30
333	333	governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all 31
334	334	legislation and matters relating to student performance, governance, programming, teacher 32
335	335	preparation and planning, as well as the work and operation of all state agencies regarding all 33
336	336	levels of education, make findings, and recommend policy initiatives and other actions to the 34
337	337
338	338
339	339	LC002312 - Page 10 of 31
340	340	general assembly. The committee shall also exercise oversight in relation to the implementation 1
341	341	of all legislation and grants of authority relating to all levels of public education in the state by all 2
342	342	agencies, state and local, charged and empowered by the general assembly in relating to all levels 3
343	343	of public education, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the 4
344	344	laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the 5
345	345	senate. 6
346	346	5.1-8 Committee on Commerce. 7
347	347	It shall be the duty of the committee on commerce to consider the appointments of the 8
348	348	governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of the senate and all 9
349	349	legislation and matters relating to financial institutions, business regulation, property and casualty 10
350	350	insurance, technology and telecommunications, for profit as well as not-for-profit business 11
351	351	entities, to maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its 12
352	352	jurisdiction and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate. 13
353	353	5.1-9 Committee on Environment and Agriculture. 14
354	354	It shall be the duty of the committee on environment and agriculture to consider the 15
355	355	appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent of 16
356	356	the senate and all legislation and matters relating to the conservation of the air, land, water, plant, 17
357	357	animal, mineral and other natural resources of the state, and to adopt all means necessary and 18
358	358	proper by law to protect the natural environment of the people of the state by providing adequate 19
359	359	resource planning for the control and regulation of the use of the natural resources of the state and 20
360	360	for the preservation, regeneration, and restoration of the natural environment of the state, to 21
361	361	maintain oversight over the application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction 22
362	362	and to consider such other matters as may be referred to it by the senate. 23
363	363	5.1-10 Committee on Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight 24
364	364	It shall be the duty of the committee on rules, government ethics and oversight consider 25
365	365	the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice and consent 26
366	366	of the senate, and (1) Consider all matters relating to the rules of the senate; (2) to ensure that the 27
367	367	members of the Senate and its staff, through education, monitoring and disseminating the 28
368	368	opinions of the Rhode Island Ethics Commission, adhere to the highest standards of ethical 29
369	369	conduct, respect the public trust and the rights of all persons, be open, accountable and 30
370	370	responsive, avoid the appearance of impropriety, and not use their position for private gain or 31
371	371	advantage; (3) to monitor and evaluate past, current and prospective performance of public bodies 32
372	372	and statutory entities, including quasi-public agencies that exercise executive governmental 33
373	373	functions (except public bodies and statutory entities of the legislative and judiciary branches of 34
374	374
375	375
376	376	LC002312 - Page 11 of 31
377	377	the state) and any other public or private person, including any agencies, partnerships, corporation 1
378	378	or business entity insofar as such person is acting on behalf of and/or in place of any public 2
379	379	agency; (4) to consider the organization, reorganization, creation or termination of such public 3
380	380	bodies, statutory entities, including quasi-public agencies and public or private persons; (5) to 4
381	381	review and consider the reports of the auditor general; (6) to report its opinion and/or 5
382	382	recommendation of legislation or action regarding the foregoing matters; (7) to consider any bill 6
383	383	referred to it by the senate, including, but not limited to any act, resolve, resolution or petition; 7
384	384	and (8) to consider such other matters that are referred to it by the senate. 8
385	385	5.1-11 Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies. 9
386	386	It shall be the duty of the committee on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies 10
387	387	to consider the appointments of the governor referred to it by the senate which require the advice 11
388	388	and consent of the senate and all legislation and matters relating to the creation, use, and 12
389	389	regulation of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, and to maintain oversight over the 13
390	390	application, execution and operation of the laws within its jurisdiction and to consider such other 14
391	391	matters as may be referred to it by the senate. 15
392	392	5.2 Committee Membership. 16
393	393	Each of the standing committees of the senate shall consist of the president of the senate, 17
394	394	ex officio with voting rights, and the majority and minority leaders of the senate, ex officio, with 18
395	395	voting rights, and senators appointed by the president of the senate, each to serve until January 7, 19
396	396	2025 January 5, 2027. Provided, however, that the president of the senate may change the 20
397	397	committee assignment of a member without the member's consent, for cause only; and provided 21
398	398	further, however, that each senator other than the president and the majority and minority leaders, 22
399	399	shall serve as a member of one of the following standing committees: committee on health and 23
400	400	human services; committee on commerce; committee on finance; committee on the judiciary. In 24
401	401	addition to the committees appointed by the president of the senate, the majority and minority 25
402	402	whips of the senate shall serve ex officio, with voting rights on all standing committees of the 26
403	403	senate. 27
404	404	5.3 Vacancies on Committees. 28
405	405	All vacancies occurring in any committee of the senate shall be filled by the president of 29
406	406	the senate. 30
407	407	5.4 Officers of Committees. 31
408	408	The president of the senate shall appoint from the membership of each committee a chair, 32
409	409	vice chair and secretary and such other committee officers as the president of the senate deems 33
410	410	appropriate. 34
411	411
412	412
413	413	LC002312 - Page 12 of 31
414	414	5.5 Select Committees. 1
415	415	The senate may, from time to time, by resolution, provide for the establishment of select 2
416	416	committees upon such subjects as it may deem proper, and upon the adoption of such resolution, 3
417	417	the president of the senate shall appoint the chair and members thereof, and shall provide for 4
418	418	minority party representation. Any committee created pursuant to this rule shall be deemed a 5
419	419	standing committee for all purposes of law, including the applicability of section 22-6-2.1 of the 6
420	420	general laws. 7
421	421	5.6 Referral to Committee. 8
422	422	No bill shall be considered or acted upon by the senate unless the same has been 9
423	423	considered by, reported, or recalled from a committee thereof, or from a joint committee, except 10
424	424	as otherwise provided in these rules. All acts seeking to vacate the forfeiture of a charter 11
425	425	previously granted under the laws of this state shall not be referred to committee but rather 12
426	426	directly assigned to the calendar. 13
427	427	5.7 Committees of Conference. 14
428	428	There shall be appointed from time to time committees of conference to which are 15
429	429	referred matters of difference with the house with respect to bills or resolutions. Such committees 16
430	430	shall be appointed by the speaker and the president of the senate, and shall be comprised of five 17
431	431	(5) members from the house and five (5) members from the senate. At least one (1) member in 18
432	432	each chamber shall be a member of the minority party. When possible, one (1) member shall be 19
433	433	the prime sponsor of the bill or resolution being considered before the committee of conference 20
434	434	and one (1) member shall be from the committee that shall have considered the bill or resolution. 21
435	435	The committee may propose any changes within the scope of the bill or resolution, but any action, 22
436	436	including changes, taken by committee shall be by a majority vote of the members of each 23
437	437	chamber on the committee. The committee report shall be made to both chambers at the same 24
438	438	time. Each chamber shall vote to accept or reject the report. A vote by either chamber to accept 25
439	439	the report of the committee shall be the final action by that chamber on the bill or resolution. If 26
440	440	both chambers vote to accept the report of the committee, the bill is passed or the resolution 27
441	441	adopted as of the time the last chamber votes to accept the report. If either chamber rejects the 28
442	442	report of the committee, the bill or resolution is defeated and the second chamber shall not be 29
443	443	required to consider the committee report. The report of the committee may be accepted or 30
444	444	rejected, but it may not be amended. The committee report shall contain the following 31
445	445	information: the bill number and title, the members of the committee, the action of the committee, 32
446	446	and the signature of the members of the committee accepting or rejecting the report. 33
447	447	The conferees shall confine themselves to the differences which exist within bills or 34
448	448
449	449
450	450	LC002312 - Page 13 of 31
451	451	resolutions between the house and senate. The presentation of reports of committees of 1
452	452	conference shall be in order after having been signed by a majority of the members of the 2
453	453	committee of each chamber. Consideration of a report of a committee of conference by the senate 3
454	454	shall be in order when it has been made electronically available to all members and listed on the 4
455	455	calendar for the required period of time according to these rules. 5
456	456	5.8 Oaths Administered in Committee. 6
457	457	In the discretion of the chair, any witness may, before testifying, be required to declare 7
458	458	that they will testify truthfully, by oath or affirmation. 8
459	459	SECTION 6. 9
460	460	PROCEEDINGS IN COMMITTEE 10
461	461	6.1 Time for Committee Meetings. 11
462	462	The president of the senate, in consultation with the chairs, shall establish regular 12
463	463	calendar days and times for the meetings of all standing committees. The committee chair may 13
464	464	call such other meetings as may be required to conduct the business of the committee. 14
465	465	6.2 Committee Agenda – Posting. 15
466	466	At least forty-eight (48) hours before any standing committee meeting, a committee 16
467	467	agenda containing the number, title and a short explanation of each bill to be considered will be 17
468	468	placed on the official general assembly website, as well as on a bulletin or electronic board of 18
469	469	which shall be for the public's use and shall be situated at the main entrance to the state library 19
470	470	and the legislative data bulletin board. The rule shall not apply to bills previously passed by the 20
471	471	senate and amended by the house. 21
472	472	6.3 Convening of Meeting. 22
473	473	The chair of the committee or, in the chair's absence, the vice chair, shall call all regular 23
474	474	sessions of the committee, set agenda and proceed with the order of business. 24
475	475	6.4 Public Participation. 25
476	476	6.4-1 Open Meetings. 26
477	477	Every standing committee meeting, except executive sessions, shall be open to the public 27
478	478	during the consideration of all matters coming before it. At such open meetings, persons other 28
479	479	than members of the committee may testify at the discretion of the committee chair on any matter 29
480	480	posted for a hearing. Any matter posted for consideration only shall not be open for public 30
481	481	testimony. 31
482	482	6.4-2 Executive Sessions. 32
483	483	Any standing committee may be called into executive session by the chair or upon 33
484	484	motion of one of the committee members if the matter under consideration is deemed by the chair 34
485	485
486	486
487	487	LC002312 - Page 14 of 31
488	488	to comply with those provisions of the "Open Meetings" law (chapter 42-46) which provides for 1
489	489	closed meetings; provided, however, when the chair of any standing committee calls the 2
490	490	committee into executive session, the majority of those members present in the executive session 3
491	491	may vote not to meet in executive session after having heard the reasons for such executive 4
492	492	session but no other votes shall be permitted in executive sessions. The chair of the committee 5
493	493	which may be called into executive session shall provide a general description to the public of the 6
494	494	reason for calling such committee into executive session. 7
495	495	6.4-3 Public Hearings. 8
496	496	In the discretion of the chair, public hearings may be advertised in newspapers, 9
497	497	stenographic records kept and hearings held at locations other than the state house. The purpose 10
498	498	of the public hearing shall be to solicit the comments of the public on the matter being 11
499	499	considered. At the public hearing all persons shall be permitted to testify; provided, however, the 12
500	500	committee chair may limit the amount of time allotted to speakers except that the prime sponsor 13
501	501	shall not have a time limit to speak and shall upon request be the first speaker at the hearing. 14
502	502	After the public hearing has been held for a reasonable period and if there are still persons 15
503	503	wishing to speak, the committee chair may continue the hearing until another date. 16
504	504	6.5 Hearing and Consideration of Bills. 17
505	505	Upon a written request by the prime sponsor of any public bill received by the secretary 18
506	506	of the senate before the closing of the next legislative day after the deadline for introduction as 19
507	507	specified in section 4.5 that a committee hearing be held with respect to such bill, the committee 20
508	508	chair shall schedule a committee hearing within eight (8) legislative days of such request unless a 21
509	509	later date is agreed to by the prime sponsor. "Received" as used herein shall mean receipt in hand 22
510	510	by the secretary of the senate or his or her designee. The secretary shall note the date and time of 23
511	511	receipt on the request and such notation shall be dispositive. On the same day, the sponsor shall 24
512	512	hand deliver copies of the request to the president of the senate and to the committee chair or their 25
513	513	designees. The committee shall consider said bill not more than eight (8) legislative days after the 26
514	514	committee hearing, unless a later date is agreed to by the prime sponsor. If the committee does 27
515	515	not consider the bill then the committee shall be discharged of its responsibility to consider such 28
516	516	bill and such bill shall be placed on the senate calendar pursuant to section 7.6 hereof. 29
517	517	Consideration by a committee shall mean any one of the following actions: recommendation of 30
518	518	passage, recommendation of passage as amended, transfer to another committee, indefinite 31
519	519	postponement, hold for further study or defeat of the bill. Provided further, the minority leader 32
520	520	may request in writing within twenty-four (24) hours after the deadline for introductions specified 33
521	521	in section 4.5 a hearing on any senate bill in committee. In the event a request is made pursuant to 34
522	522
523	523
524	524	LC002312 - Page 15 of 31
525	525	this rule at a time less than sixteen (16) days before the deadline for committee consideration set 1
526	526	forth in section 6.9, then such request shall not be proper and shall be automatically denied. 2
527	527	6.6 Quorum. 3
528	528	A committee shall not vote upon any bill in the absence of a quorum which shall consist 4
529	529	of a majority of the committee's members; provided, however, that at the discretion of the chair, 5
530	530	less than a quorum may conduct any hearing including public hearings. 6
531	531	6.7 Minority Representation. 7
532	532	When there is no minority member present and the committee is to consider a bill, the 8
533	533	committee chair shall notify the office of the minority leader. Unless waived by the minority 9
534	534	leader, the committee shall not conduct business for a reasonable time not to exceed fifteen (15) 10
535	535	minutes or until a minority member of the committee is present. Once a minority member is 11
536	536	present, his or her subsequent absence will not require further notice to the minority leader. For 12
537	537	purposes of this rule, an independent senator shall be considered to be a minority member. 13
538	538	6.8 Committee Votes. 14
539	539	All votes in committee on public bills shall be a recorded roll call vote. The vote upon all 15
540	540	motions or bills not considered a "public bill" shall, upon the request of any member of the 16
541	541	committee, be a recorded roll call vote. Otherwise all votes shall be put by yeas and nays. 17
542	542	Committee chairs shall submit all bills approved by committee to the floor forthwith, with a 18
543	543	record of the committee vote. 19
544	544	6.9 Deadline for Consideration. 20
545	545	After the Thursday preceding the spring recess week of each session, committees shall 21
546	546	consider only those public bills which have been acted upon and transmitted to the senate by the 22
547	547	house of representatives; provided, however, that the president of the senate may request a senate 23
548	548	committee to immediately consider a senate bill then in committee and said bill shall be 24
549	549	considered by the committee. 25
550	550	6.10 Discharge from Committee. 26
551	551	No bill shall be taken or called from any such committee, or the committee discharged 27
552	552	from the consideration thereof, except: 28
553	553	Any senator may present a petition, in writing, to discharge a committee from further 29
554	554	consideration of a bill which has been in the possession of the committee for thirty (30) 30
555	555	legislative days without having been considered, but only one petition on a particular bill may be 31
556	556	presented during the course of a session. Prior to presenting the petition, the senator must 32
557	557	introduce a resolution of intent to discharge such committee. Such resolution of intent shall 33
558	558	contain the bill number and the committee to be discharged. The presiding officer shall cause the 34
559	559
560	560
561	561	LC002312 - Page 16 of 31
562	562	resolution of intent to be printed in the journal of the senate. The petition shall be placed in the 1
563	563	custody of the secretary of the senate who shall arrange some convenient place for the signatures 2
564	564	of the senators to be placed thereon in the presence of the reading clerk during the hours in which 3
565	565	the senate is in session. A signature may be withdrawn by a senator at any time before the petition 4
566	566	shall become effective. 5
567	567	On the first day of each week, there shall be printed in the journal of the senate the 6
568	568	petitions pending under these rules, together with the signatures thereto; provided, however, that 7
569	569	as soon as a majority of all the senators elected to the senate shall have affixed their signatures to 8
570	570	any such petition to discharge a committee under this rule, the presiding officer shall cause notice 9
571	571	thereof to be given to chair and clerk of the committee to which such bill was referred, and such 10
572	572	notice shall, thereupon, automatically discharge the committee from further consideration of the 11
573	573	bill and the bill shall be placed upon the calendar in accordance with section 7.6 hereof. 12
574	574	Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to change the deadline for 13
575	575	consideration as specified in section 6.9. 14
576	576	6.11 Compelling Committee Action. 15
577	577	If a committee to which a bill has been referred fails to consider such bill within sixteen 16
578	578	(16) legislative days of its referral, the prime sponsor of such bill, or a majority of the appointed 17
579	579	members, but not less than four (4) committee members, may, in writing, request the chair of the 18
580	580	committee, through the presiding officer of the senate, that such bill be considered. The request 19
581	581	shall be printed in the journal of the senate. The committee shall consider such bill at its first 20
582	582	meeting held at least three (3) legislative days after such request is made. If the committee does 21
583	583	not consider the bill within nine (9) legislative days of receipt of the request then the committee 22
584	584	shall be discharged of its responsibility to consider such bill and such bill shall be placed on the 23
585	585	senate calendar pursuant to section 7.6 hereof. Consideration by a committee shall be interpreted 24
586	586	to mean any one of the following actions: recommendation of passage, recommendation of 25
587	587	passage as amended, transfer to another committee, indefinite postponement, hold for further 26
588	588	study or defeat of the bill. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to change the 27
589	589	deadline for consideration as specified in section 6.9. 28
590	590	6.12 Defeat of a Bill. 29
591	591	Once a bill is defeated in committee, the same shall not be acted upon or considered 30
592	592	again during the same legislative year. 31
593	593	6.13 Indefinite Postponement. 32
594	594	Whenever any bill is postponed indefinitely in committee, the same shall not be acted 33
595	595	upon or considered again during the same legislative year. 34
596	596
597	597
598	598	LC002312 - Page 17 of 31
599	599	6.14 Transfer of Bills. 1
600	600	In the event the chair of any standing committee determines that any bill then pending 2
601	601	before the committee would more properly be pending before another standing committee of the 3
602	602	senate, the chair shall transfer such bill to such other standing committee as is deemed appropriate 4
603	603	during the reports of committees. 5
604	604	6.15 Committee Records. 6
605	605	All recorded votes of committees, all written testimony submitted to a committee, and the 7
606	606	transcripts of any recorded testimony shall be retained by the clerk of each committee, shall 8
607	607	constitute public records, and shall be available for inspection to any senator and to any person 9
608	608	upon request. Written testimony relating to legislation shall be published online. All committee 10
609	609	votes, transcripts and testimony shall be transmitted to the secretary of state pursuant to state law 11
610	610	and senate policy following final adjournment in even numbered years. 12
611	611	6.16 Attribution of Bills. 13
612	612	Upon presentation of testimony before a committee, the prime sponsor of the bill shall 14
613	613	provide to the committee the name of any individual, group or organization responsible for the 15
614	614	substantive basis or text of the bill. 16
615	615	6.17 Companion Bills. 17
616	616	Any house bill, identical to a senate bill previously heard in committee, may be 18
617	617	considered without further hearing. 19
618	618	6.18 Substitute Bills. 20
619	619	Any proposed substitute bill, or a substitute of a bill held by a committee, shall be posted 21
620	620	at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to consideration. Such postings will be placed on the official 22
621	621	general assembly website, as well as on the legislative data bulletin board and on a bulletin or 23
622	622	electronic board of which shall be for the public's use and shall be situated at the main entrance to 24
623	623	the state library. The electronic posting shall be considered the official date of the posting. In the 25
624	624	event that the electronic posting is inoperable, then the official posting shall be the legislative data 26
625	625	bulletin board. The chair may waive this twenty-four (24) hour posting requirement, for 27
626	626	amendments technical, grammatical, or not substantive or substantial in nature. This section shall 28
627	627	not apply to the annual state budget bill. 29
628	628	SECTION 7. 30
629	629	PROCEEDINGS ON THE SENATE FLOOR 31
630	630	7.1 Right to the Floor. 32
631	631	No senator shall address another except through the presiding officer. A senator shall rise 33
632	632	to put a question, may state it or read a paper sitting. When any senator wishes to speak or to 34
633	633
634	634
635	635	LC002312 - Page 18 of 31
636	636	deliver any matter to the senate, the senator shall press his or her recognition control and the 1
637	637	presiding officer shall recognize the senator who so requests recognition and the order of 2
638	638	recognition shall be determined by the presiding officer. The senator so recognized shall not be 3
639	639	interrupted while speaking except by a call to order or a motion to suspend section 3.5. The 4
640	640	senator shall then immediately be seated unless permitted by the senate to proceed, which shall be 5
641	641	determined upon motion without debate. No senator, exclusive of the majority and minority 6
642	642	leaders, the prime sponsor or floor manager, or the chair of the committee from which the bill or 7
643	643	resolution was reported, shall speak more than twice to the same question without leave of the 8
644	644	senate, which shall be determined without debate; nor more than once until every member 9
645	645	choosing to speak shall have spoken; nor for longer than five (5) minutes without the leave of the 10
646	646	senate, which shall be determined without debate. A senator may yield his or her right to the floor 11
647	647	to another senator. 12
648	648	7.2 Personal Privilege. 13
649	649	Only at the time provided for in section 3.3, a senator may claim the floor to address the 14
650	650	senate on personal privilege. Personal privilege shall include the right to reply to criticism, or to 15
651	651	discuss anything clearly derogatory to the member or which reflects upon his or her character that 16
652	652	appears in the press or other public medium but shall not include the right to discuss favorable 17
653	653	references to the senator, nor to reply to generalized criticism of the senate which does not refer 18
654	654	to him or to her specifically, nor to attack another member of the senate personally. Whether a 19
655	655	member's remarks constitute personal privilege shall be determined by the presiding officer. 20
656	656	7.3 Addressing the Senate on Important Matters. 21
657	657	Only at the time provided for in section 3.3, a senator may request unanimous consent of 22
658	658	the senators present to address the senate on a topic or matter of importance to the welfare of the 23
659	659	state. A senator granted the right to so address the senate may be interrupted at any time by 24
660	660	another senator who wishes to object to the first senator's right to continue to address the senate 25
661	661	and upon such objection the first senator's right to address the senate shall terminate. 26
662	662	7.4 Objectionable Language. 27
663	663	No senator shall use profane, insulting, or abusive language or act in any manner that is 28
664	664	disruptive to the course of public debate on the senate floor, or in testimony before any committee 29
665	665	of the general assembly. 30
666	666	7.5 Priority of Business. 31
667	667	All questions relating to priority of business to be acted upon shall be decided by the 32
668	668	presiding officer without debate. 33
669	669	7.6 Calendar. 34
670	670
671	671
672	672	LC002312 - Page 19 of 31
673	673	There shall be a calendar kept by the secretary of the senate upon which shall be placed 1
674	674	the bills reported by all committees, and all other matters ordered placed thereon by the senate. 2
675	675	Matters on the calendar shall be arranged by the secretary of the senate in numerical order by 3
676	676	committee unless otherwise ordered by the president of the senate in agreement with the majority 4
677	677	leader and the minority leader. Such calendar shall be electronically available to all members of 5
678	678	the senate. Except as provided in section 7.13, and during consideration of the calendar, no other 6
679	679	business shall intervene except to receive a communication from the house or a motion to 7
680	680	suspend section 3.5. 8
681	681	All business on the calendar not disposed of at the time of adjournment shall be first in 9
682	682	order on the calendar the next day. No matter of business on the calendar shall be considered 10
683	683	upon its merits unless it has been on such calendar for at least two (2) calendar days; except that 11
684	684	the president of the senate may order a bill placed on the calendar for less than two (2) calendar 12
685	685	days; provided, however, a bill passed by the senate and amended by the house of representatives 13
686	686	may be considered by the senate without being on the calendar for two (2) calendar days if the 14
687	687	requirements of section 4.9-1 have been met. 15
688	688	7.7 Consent Calendar. 16
689	689	Notwithstanding the provisions of section 7.6, the secretary of the senate shall also 17
690	690	maintain a separate calendar, designated as the consent calendar, upon which shall be placed 18
691	691	resolutions required by section 4.7, acts seeking to vacate the forfeiture of a corporate charter and 19
692	692	such other bills as directed by the president of the senate. Matters on the consent calendar shall be 20
693	693	in order for disposal on each day and shall include all such matters reported or referred thereto 21
694	694	from the previous day. Such consent calendar shall be posted in the chamber of the senate. All 22
695	695	matters on the consent calendar shall be disposed by roll call vote on a single motion except such 23
696	696	matters as may be objected to by any single senator, which said matter or matters shall be held 24
697	697	over on the regular calendar for the next legislative day. 25
698	698	7.8 Reports of Joint Committees. 26
699	699	No bill reported by or forwarded on the recommendation of a joint committee of the two 27
700	700	houses shall be in order for concurrence by the senate if it shall appear that the members of such 28
701	701	joint committee on the part of the senate, if in attendance on the general assembly, shall not have 29
702	702	been notified or present when the subject was acted on by such joint committee. No report shall 30
703	703	be acted on in the senate from any joint committee unless as subscribed by a senator who is a 31
704	704	member of said committee. Any report from a joint committee shall be made on the floor of the 32
705	705	senate by a member of said committee, notwithstanding that said member may not have 33
706	706	concurred in the report and said report shall be held on the desk unless ordered placed on the 34
707	707
708	708
709	709	LC002312 - Page 20 of 31
710	710	calendar pursuant to section 7.6 by the president of the senate or by a majority vote of the senate. 1
711	711	7.9 Messages from the House. 2
712	712	When a message is received from the house of representatives, transmitting any papers, 3
713	713	the secretary of the senate shall transmit to the office of the president of the senate all house 4
714	714	transmittals received on that day. The president of the senate shall assign house transmittals to 5
715	715	committees upon adjournment of the senate. The secretary of the senate shall cause all house 6
716	716	transmittals to be published in the senate journal for the day such transmittals are received. Any 7
717	717	senator may object to the committee assignment for any transmittal received during the previous 8
718	718	legislative day. Upon objection being made, the presiding officer shall assign the transmittal to 9
719	719	the committee requested by the senator making the objection, provided, however, that if another 10
720	720	senator objects to any assignment or proposed assignment of the transmittal, then the presiding 11
721	721	officer shall call for a vote of the senate on any motion for assignment which has been made and 12
722	722	seconded, such motion requiring a majority vote of those senators present and voting for 13
723	723	assignment to a particular committee. 14
724	724	During the time for consideration of house transmittals, a senator may move for 15
725	725	immediate consideration of a house transmittal, received by the secretary of the senate on the 16
726	726	previous legislative day. If there is no objection to the motion, it is deemed to be approved, but if 17
727	727	there is objection to the motion for immediate consideration, the presiding officer shall submit the 18
728	728	motion to a vote of the senate, such motion for immediate consideration shall require the votes of 19
729	729	two-thirds (2/3) of those senators present and voting, for approval. 20
730	730	7.10 Amendments. 21
731	731	No senator may amend from the floor any bill pending before the senate unless such 22
732	732	amendment be submitted, electronically or in writing, with sufficient copies signed by the 23
733	733	proponent, and read to the body; provided, however, that no amendment to the annual budget bill 24
734	734	making appropriations for the support of the state may be offered, except with the agreement of 25
735	735	two-thirds (2/3) of the members present, unless copies thereof shall have been filed with the 26
736	736	secretary of the senate no later than 12:00 o'clock noon on the legislative day preceding the 27
737	737	legislative day on which the budget bill shall be in order for consideration: provided however that 28
738	738	with majority consent a senator may make an oral amendment of a technical or minor nature. 29
739	739	7.11 Votes in Concurrence. 30
740	740	Whenever any bill shall come before the senate for concurrence, and the senate concurs 31
741	741	without amendments, or fails to concur, the secretary of the senate may announce the concurrence 32
742	742	or nonconcurrence to the other house, but the original bill received by the senate shall not be 33
743	743	transmitted to the other house. 34
744	744
745	745
746	746	LC002312 - Page 21 of 31
747	747	7.12 Motions. 1
748	748	No motion shall be debated until it has been seconded. For the purpose of recorded votes 2
749	749	only the first second shall be recorded. A motion may be withdrawn by the mover at any time 3
750	750	before a decision or a motion to amend, except a motion to reconsider, which shall not be 4
751	751	withdrawn after the time has elapsed within which it could be originally made. 5
752	752	7.13 Interruption of Debate. 6
753	753	When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received except to suspend section 7
754	754	3.5, to adjourn, to recommit, for the previous question, to close debate, to fix a time for closing 8
755	755	debate, to take a recess, to lay on the table, to take from the table, to transmit, to postpone 9
756	756	indefinitely, to change calendar arrangement, or to amend, and any motion or resolution the 10
757	757	purpose of which is to take any bill or any other matter from committees of the senate or to 11
758	758	discharge a committee from the consideration thereof, which several motions shall have 12
759	759	precedence in the order in which they are here arranged and shall be decided by majority vote 13
760	760	without debate; provided further that a motion to recommit as to any bill which is placed on the 14
761	761	senate calendar may be voted by yeas and nays; however, if the prime sponsor timely objects, the 15
762	762	motion shall be voted on by electronic roll of the senate. 16
763	763	7.14 Adjournment. 17
764	764	When time for meeting of the senate shall have been previously fixed, a motion to 18
765	765	adjourn and a motion to suspend section 3.5 shall always be in order. The senate shall not be 19
766	766	adjourned except by affirmative vote of a majority of the senators present and voting. 20
767	767	7.15 Lay on the Table. 21
768	768	When an amendment proposed to any pending measure be laid on the table, it shall not 22
769	769	carry with it, or prejudice such measure. 23
770	770	7.16 Dividing Questions. 24
771	771	A question that is susceptible of division shall, at the request of the majority, be divided 25
772	772	and put separately upon the propositions of which it is compounded. 26
773	773	7.17 Non-Germane Amendments. 27
774	774	No motion or proposition of a subject different from that under consideration shall be 28
775	775	admitted under color of amendment. 29
776	776	7.18 Motion for Reconsideration. 30
777	777	A senator on the prevailing side of any vote may, on the same legislative day, move to 31
778	778	reconsider the vote on the same or following legislative day. When a bill has been reconsidered it 32
779	779	shall not be reconsidered again during the session. Bills and other papers in reference to which a 33
780	780	motion to reconsider is pending shall, unless otherwise ordered, remain in the possession of the 34
781	781
782	782
783	783	LC002312 - Page 22 of 31
784	784	secretary of the senate until the right of reconsideration has expired. The privilege to reconsider 1
785	785	granted by this rule may be suspended by a majority vote of the senators present and voting. 2
786	786	7.19 Printed Material. 3
787	787	If the reading of any printed or written paper be objected to, the matter shall be 4
788	788	determined by a majority vote of the senate without debate. 5
789	789	7.20 Recommittal. 6
790	790	No motion to recommit shall be entertained by the presiding officer as to any bill which 7
791	791	is placed on the calendar as the result of section 6.10 until every senator desiring to be heard has 8
792	792	been recognized, notwithstanding the provisions of section 7.13. 9
793	793	7.21 Immediate Consideration. 10
794	794	During the time for introduction and reference of new business, as provided in section 11
795	795	3.3, a senator may introduce a bill and move for immediate consideration of the bill at that time. 12
796	796	If there is no objection to the motion, for immediate consideration it is deemed to be approved, 13
797	797	but if there is objection to the motion for immediate consideration, the presiding officer shall 14
798	798	submit the motion to a vote of the senate; such motion for immediate consideration shall require 15
799	799	the votes of two-thirds (2/3) of those senators present and voting, for approval. If the bill is not 16
800	800	available electronically to all members of the senate at the time of the request for immediate 17
801	801	consideration, then a hard copy of the bill shall be made available to any senator upon request. 18
802	802	7.22 Questions During Debate. 19
803	803	A senator, while speaking after recognition by the chair, may, upon request of a senator, 20
804	804	yield to him or her temporarily without thereby relinquishing his or her prior right to the floor 21
805	805	and, thereafter, may terminate such interruption and resume speaking at any time; provided, 22
806	806	however, that it shall not be in order for a senator to rise and request that a senator, other than the 23
807	807	one with the right to the floor, yield to a question. Furthermore, it shall not be in order for a 24
808	808	senator, with the right to the floor, to ask another senator to yield to a question, unless such 25
809	809	senator has previously spoken during the debate on the matter. All questions and responses shall 26
810	810	be directed through the chair and the presiding officer shall not be interrupted when speaking. 27
811	811	SECTION 8. 28
812	812	VOTING ON THE SENATE FLOOR 29
813	813	8.1 Method of Voting. 30
814	814	The electronic roll call of the senate shall be called on any vote pertaining to an election, 31
815	815	public bill, on passage of the consent calendar and on any other vote at the request of any senator 32
816	816	present; otherwise, votes shall be put by yeas and nays. In naming sums or numbers, and fixing 33
817	817	times, the largest sum or longest time shall be put first. 34
818	818
819	819
820	820	LC002312 - Page 23 of 31
821	821	8.2 Voting Machine Inoperative. 1
822	822	In the event the machine is not to be used to record a vote or is not operating properly, all 2
823	823	votes and other determinations may be taken as required by senate rules, either by voice vote, 3
824	824	division vote or by calling the roll alphabetically and recording the yeas and nays. If a senator's 4
825	825	voting device is out of order, the senator shall rise and announce it to the presiding officer and 5
826	826	cast his or her vote orally prior to the declaration of the result of the vote. 6
827	827	8.3 Who May Vote. 7
828	828	Any member who is present on the senate floor must vote. Any senator who is not on the 8
829	829	floor at such time, but who returns before the machine is locked, shall be permitted to vote. 9
830	830	Without objection or with a majority vote, a senator may be permitted to cast a vote after the 10
831	831	results have been announced, provided however such request shall be made on the same 11
832	832	legislative day and, only if the vote if so permitted, will not change the result previously 12
833	833	announced. 13
834	834	8.4 Control of Electronic Voting System. 14
835	835	The electronic voting system shall be under the control of the presiding officer and shall 15
836	836	be operated by such personnel as the president of the senate so designates. 16
837	837	8.5 Conducting a Vote. 17
838	838	At a reasonable time prior to any vote being taken, the presiding officer shall announce 18
839	839	that a vote is about to be taken. When any senator other than the president of the senate is 19
840	840	presiding, such senator may direct either the Secretary of the Senate or the reading clerk to cast 20
841	841	his or her vote at his or her voting station, but at no other time may a senator designate any other 21
842	842	person to cast his or her vote. Until the completion of the voting, no senator shall be recognized, 22
843	843	and no other business shall be transacted. When sufficient time has elapsed for each senator to 23
844	844	vote prior to locking the machine, the presiding officer shall ask if any member present desires to 24
845	845	vote or change his or her vote. The presiding officer shall then order the machine locked and 25
846	846	activate the recording process. The voting machine shall remain locked between all votes. 26
847	847	8.6 Announcing the Tally. 27
848	848	When the vote is completely recorded, the Secretary of the Senate shall advise the 28
849	849	presiding officer of the result; and the presiding officer shall announce the result to the senate and 29
850	850	the result shall be recorded in the journal. 30
851	851	8.7 Changing a Vote. 31
852	852	No vote may be changed after the system has been locked and the vote recorded except 32
853	853	that, after a vote has been recorded, any senator may, by a majority vote of the senate, be 33
854	854	permitted to change his or her vote, provided that such change be effected on the same calendar 34
855	855
856	856
857	857	LC002312 - Page 24 of 31
858	858	day as his or her original vote. 1
859	859	8.8 Recording Votes. 2
860	860	8.8-1 On any recorded vote, no senator shall be recorded as having voted unless he or she 3
861	861	has been recorded or recognized as being present prior to the conduct of said vote. 4
862	862	8.8-2 Upon request, on any non-recorded vote, any senator shall have his or her vote 5
863	863	recorded so that it shall appear in the journal of the senate. 6
864	864	8.9 Voting for Another. 7
865	865	No senator may vote for another senator; nor may any person cast a vote for a senator, 8
866	866	except as otherwise provided in section 8.5. A senator who voted for another senator may be 9
867	867	punished in a manner the senate determines. A person voting for a senator, when not authorized 10
868	868	by section 8.5, is barred from the floor of the senate and may be further punished as the senate 11
869	869	determines. 12
870	870	8.10 Explanation of Vote. 13
871	871	No explanation of any vote will be permitted during the voting or after a vote has been 14
872	872	cast. 15
873	873	8.11 Statement of the Question. 16
874	874	After the question has been put, but before the system is locked, any senator may call for 17
875	875	a statement of the question. 18
876	876	8.12 No Interruption. 19
877	877	While the presiding officer is putting the question, or the vote is being recorded, no 20
878	878	senator shall speak or leave his or her place. 21
879	879	8.13 Voting by Proxy. 22
880	880	Notwithstanding any senate rule to the contrary, during any declared state of emergency 23
881	881	and while the senate is in session, a senator may request from the presiding officer permission to 24
882	882	vote by proxy on any bill or matter before the senate. The presiding officer shall, when deciding 25
883	883	to grant or deny the request, consider whether the senator making the request would face a 26
884	884	hardship in attending session, or, during a contagion, falls within a high-risk category as defined 27
885	885	by the Rhode Island Department of Health or an equivalent agency. 28
886	886	The presiding officer may also authorize a member to vote at session by limited-directed 29
887	887	proxy, if the member is unable to be physically present in the chamber due to a health, family 30
888	888	health or medical condition. A member may provide a written request to the presiding officer for 31
889	889	authorization to vote by proxy pursuant to this rule. The presiding officer may require that the 32
890	890	member provide documentation from a physician verifying that the member is unable to be 33
891	891	physically present at session based upon the medical needs of the member or family member, and 34
892	892
893	893
894	894	LC002312 - Page 25 of 31
895	895	the presiding officer may limit the duration of authorization under this rule. Authorization to vote 1
896	896	by proxy pursuant to this rule shall be reported in the senate journal. 2
897	897	If the presiding officer grants a senator permission to vote by proxy, the presiding officer 3
898	898	shall notify the secretary of the senate of the decision to allow such vote by proxy. The secretary 4
899	899	of the senate shall prepare a proxy(ies) for each senator voting by proxy, in a form substantially 5
900	900	as follows: The bill number or matter to be voted on followed by a box to approve and a box to 6
901	901	disapprove. The secretary of the senate shall deliver the proxy(ies), by email or hand delivery, to 7
902	902	each senator authorized to vote by proxy. Any senator voting by proxy shall have their signature 8
903	903	notarized and shall return the notarized proxy(ies), by email or hand delivery, to the leader of 9
904	904	their respective caucus. The majority or minority leader shall forward the executed proxy(ies) to 10
905	905	the secretary of the senate to be recorded in the journal. 11
906	906	SECTION 9. 12
907	907	PROCEEDINGS ON NOMINATIONS 13
908	908	9.1 Scope. 14
909	909	The senate’s exercise of its constitutional obligation to give advice and consent to 15
910	910	executive appointees shall be governed solely and exclusively by these rules. 16
911	911	9.2 Delivery 17
912	912	Nominations shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Senate, or his or her designee, at 18
913	913	the Office of the Secretary for presentation to the Senate. 19
914	914	9.3 Presentation to the Senate. 20
915	915	When a nomination shall be presented to the Senate for advice and consent, it shall, 21
916	916	unless otherwise ordered, be referred to the appropriate committee or committees and a copy of 22
917	917	the nomination shall be delivered to the senator within whose district the nominee resides. Except 23
918	918	as set forth herein, nominations shall follow the same course and be subject to the same 24
919	919	procedures as bills introduced pursuant to Rules of the Senate. 25
920	920	9.4 Questions Presented. 26
921	921	The final question on every nomination shall be, "Will the Senate provide its advice and 27
922	922	consent to [insert nominee name and position]?" which question shall not be put on the same 28
923	923	legislative day on which the nomination is received, nor on the legislative day on which it may be 29
924	924	reported by a committee. Provided, however, that this provision may be waived by vote of a 30
925	925	majority of the Senate. 31
926	926	9.5 Effect of Non-action. 32
927	927	Nominations neither confirmed nor rejected during the annual session at which they are 33
928	928	made shall not be acted upon at any succeeding session unless renewed by the appointing 34
929	929
930	930
931	931	LC002312 - Page 26 of 31
932	932	authority; and if the Senate shall adjourn or be in recess for a period in excess of thirty (30) days, 1
933	933	all nominations pending and not finally acted upon at the time of such adjournment or recess shall 2
934	934	be returned by the Secretary of the Senate to the appointing authority, and shall not again be 3
935	935	considered unless the nomination shall again be made and delivered to the Senate by the 4
936	936	appointing authority. 5
937	937	9.6 Withdrawal of Nominations. 6
938	938	Nominations may be withdrawn by the appointing authority at any time prior to final 7
939	939	action thereon by the Senate. 8
940	940	SECTION 10. 9
941	941	MISCELLANEOUS 10
942	942	10.1 Legislative Aides. 11
943	943	The president of the senate may appoint and prescribe the duties and terms of a 12
944	944	parliamentarian and one head page and as many assistant pages, doorkeepers and legislative aides 13
945	945	as the president of the senate shall deem necessary; and any or all of them may be removed at the 14
946	946	pleasure of the president of the senate. 15
947	947	10.2 Absence of a Quorum. 16
948	948	When there shall be seven (7) or more senators, but less than a quorum of the senate 17
949	949	present, a majority of the senators present may direct the presiding officer to compel the 18
950	950	attendance of absent senators in accordance with law. 19
951	951	10.3 Amendment and Suspension of Rules. 20
952	952	No rule shall be repealed, suspended or amended, or the operation thereof temporarily 21
953	953	suspended except by two-thirds (2/3) of the members present and voting. 22
954	954	10.4 Access to the Senate Chamber. 23
955	955	10.4-1 Access During Senate Session. 24
956	956	Ten minutes prior to the time the senate is scheduled to convene, the secretary of the 25
957	957	senate shall clear the senate chamber of all persons other than members of the general assembly, 26
958	958	general assembly staff, guests of a senator, and authorized representatives of the news media. 27
959	959	From this time to the adjournment or recess of said session no persons other than those listed 28
960	960	above shall be admitted to the senate chamber except with permission from the senate president. 29
961	961	10.4-2 Senators' Seats. 30
962	962	The seat of each senator shall be assigned by the president of the senate, and in no event 31
963	963	shall any other person be permitted to occupy such assigned seat. 32
964	964	10.4-3 Sheriff's Duties. 33
965	965	It shall be the duty of the sheriff, or the sheriff's deputies in attendance in the senate, or in 34
966	966
967	967
968	968	LC002312 - Page 27 of 31
969	969	their absence, a member of the capitol police department, to see that sections 10.4-1, 10.4-2, 10.4-1
970	970	3, 10.4-4 and 10.4-9 are enforced, and that all senate entrances and exits are kept completely clear 2
971	971	and open to passage to and from the chamber. 3
972	972	10.4-4 Gallery. 4
973	973	When the normal seating accommodations for visitors in the gallery have been filled, no 5
974	974	additional seats shall be installed, and no persons shall be thereafter admitted to the gallery of the 6
975	975	senate while in session except to fill vacancies. 7
976	976	10.5 Confidentiality of Drafting. 8
977	977	At the request of any senator or senate attorney to the director of the legislative council, 9
978	978	an entry into the word processing system may be made confidential so that the entry shall be 10
979	979	accessible only to the senator or senate attorney making such request or his or her designee. An 11
980	980	entry may be a bill, letter, memorandum or any other document. 12
981	981	10.6 Misuse of Rules. 13
982	982	If it appears that the rules are being used as a tactic to impede senate business, the 14
983	983	presiding officer may make a decision to that effect and put the matter before the senate and a 15
984	984	majority vote of the senators present shall sustain with finality the ruling of the presiding officer. 16
985	985	10.7 Extraordinary and Special Session. 17
986	986	In the event of the calling of an extraordinary session of the general assembly by the 18
987	987	governor, or a reconvened session by the speaker of the house and the president of the senate, 19
988	988	said session shall be conducted pursuant to these rules; provided, however, that sections 4.9-1, 20
989	989	6.2, 7.6 and 7.8 are not applicable to any such session; and, provided further, that any bill, act or 21
990	990	resolution for consideration of which the session is called shall have been provided to the 22
991	991	members at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the consideration of the senate. 23
992	992	10.8 Remote committee hearings. 24
993	993	Notwithstanding any senate rule to the contrary, during any declared state of emergency 25
994	994	and while the senate is in session, a committee chairperson, with the permission of the presiding 26
995	995	officer, may schedule a remote meeting of the committee in which they serve as chairperson for 27
996	996	the purpose of hearing and/or considering any matter that has been assigned to the committee. 28
997	997	Unless otherwise provided for, the chairperson or vice chairperson of the committee shall ensure 29
998	998	that all requirements of section 6 of these rules are complied with. This rule shall be construed to 30
999	999	allow for both remote and in person/remote participation. 31
1000	1000	10.9 Mason's Rules. 32
1001	1001	Mason's Rules of Order shall govern procedure on the senate floor and in the committees 33
1002	1002	of the senate in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with these rules or with any joint rules 34
1003	1003
1004	1004
1005	1005	LC002312 - Page 28 of 31
1006	1006	of the senate and house. 1
1007	1007	10.10 Use of Facilities. 2
1008	1008	The senate locker room, lounge and corridor adjacent to them shall be for the exclusive 3
1009	1009	use of the senators and their guests. 4
1010	1010	10.11 Decorum. 5
1011	1011	No senator shall use profane, insulting or abusive language or act in any manner that 6
1012	1012	interferes with the orderly conduct of the session of the senate. The president of the senate shall 7
1013	1013	preserve decorum and order in the senate chamber. While in the senate chamber, members and 8
1014	1014	staff shall be required to dress in proper and appropriate attire, such as blouses, dress slacks and 9
1015	1015	collared shirts with accompanying jacket. 10
1016	1016	10.12 Smoking Prohibited. 11
1017	1017	Smoking shall be prohibited in all senate areas including, but not limited to: the chamber, 12
1018	1018	gallery, lounge, committee rooms, offices, restrooms or hallways. The presiding officer shall 13
1019	1019	enforce this rule. 14
1020	1020	10.13 Consumption of Food and Alcoholic Beverages. 15
1021	1021	The consumption of food and alcoholic beverages shall be prohibited on the senate floor. 16
1022	1022	Except at the specific request of a member, all beverages consumed on the floor shall be in paper 17
1023	1023	or plastic cups; provided, however, that all members shall be encouraged to utilize reusable 18
1024	1024	containers. 19
1025	1025	10.14 Electronic Devices. 20
1026	1026	Members shall be courteous and professional when using electronic devices. 21
1027	1027	10.15 Photographic Equipment. 22
1028	1028	During sessions, photographic equipment that blocks ingress or egress or unduly creates a 23
1029	1029	disturbance as determined by the president of the senate or the senate committee chair, shall not 24
1030	1030	be used on the floor of the senate or in committee hearing rooms when committee meetings are in 25
1031	1031	session. 26
1032	1032	10.16 Display of Posters, Signs, and Banners on the Floor. 27
1033	1033	No placard, sign, poster, banner, chart or other visual aid of similar nature shall be 28
1034	1034	displayed on the floor of the Senate or used in debate at any time when the Senate is in session 29
1035	1035	without the consent of the presiding officer. Any decision of the presiding officer under this rule 30
1036	1036	may be appealed to the body. 31
1037	1037	10.17 Display of Posters, Signs, and Banners Prohibited in the Gallery or Hearing 32
1038	1038	Rooms. 33
1039	1039	No placard, sign, poster, banner, chart or visual aid of similar nature shall be displayed in 34
1040	1040
1041	1041
1042	1042	LC002312 - Page 29 of 31
1043	1043	the gallery or committee hearing room at any time when the Senate or a committee is in session. 1
1044	1044	The presiding officer shall order any such object so displayed to be removed. 2
1045	1045	10.18 Official Notice. 3
1046	1046	Except as otherwise provided in these rules, notice to a member transmitted from the 4
1047	1047	Office of the President through the Rhode Island General Assembly email system to the 5
1048	1048	rilegislature.gov email address assigned to the member shall constitute official written notice to 6
1049	1049	the member as of the date and time of the transmission. It is the responsibility of the members to 7
1050	1050	monitor their rilegislature.gov email address on a regular basis, or to have email messages 8
1051	1051	forwarded to an address which is monitored on a regular basis. Alternatively, a member may elect 9
1052	1052	to receive such notice directly at an email address other than the member’s rilegislature.gov email 10
1053	1053	address by executing a form available in the Office of the President. Once designated, 11
1054	1054	transmissions to the alternate email address shall constitute written notice to the member as of the 12
1055	1055	date and time of the transmission and will continue to be such until the Office of the President is 13
1056	1056	notified of a different address. 14
1057	1057	10.19 Continuing Ethics Education. 15
1058	1058	All state senators and senate employees shall bi-annually participate in a continuing 16
1059	1059	education program presented by the Rhode Island Ethics Commission on the Rhode Island Code 17
1060	1060	of Ethics and related laws. 18
1061	1061	10.20 Continuing Education and Training. 19
1062	1062	All state senators and senate employees, shall bi-annually participate in a continuing 20
1063	1063	education program presented by the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights. 21
1064	1064	10.21 Discipline of a Member. 22
1065	1065	The extraordinary power of expulsion generally should be reserved for very serious 23
1066	1066	breaches of legal or ethical responsibilities of members. A complaint to expel a member shall 24
1067	1067	commence with a resolution sponsored by the senate president; provided however, if the president 25
1068	1068	is the subject of the resolution to expel, the resolution shall be sponsored by the president pro 26
1069	1069	tempore. The secretary of the senate shall refer the resolution to the committee on judiciary. The 27
1070	1070	committee shall investigate the matter and shall have the right to compel witnesses and produce 28
1071	1071	documents by subpoena and other customary means. The committee shall afford the member due 29
1072	1072	process. Due process shall be defined as customary legislative process for hearings, to include: 30
1073	1073	properly served notice of all hearings, the right to testify and refute the allegations and the right to 31
1074	1074	present evidence. In addition, individual notice shall be served upon the member and the member 32
1075	1075	shall have the right to cross examine any witness. The vote of a majority of the committee shall 33
1076	1076	be sent to the floor for the next legislative day available for consideration. All testimony shall be 34
1077	1077
1078	1078
1079	1079	LC002312 - Page 30 of 31
1080	1080	under oath and preserved by stenographic record which shall be transcribed upon the order of the 1
1081	1081	chair. Expulsion shall require by two-thirds of the members elected voting for approval of the 2
1082	1082	resolution to expel. 3
1083	1083	10.22 Elections. 4
1084	1084	(1) On the first day of session, in an odd-numbered year, the senate shall be called to 5
1085	1085	order by the senior member in continuous service present from Newport: "from Newport" shall be 6
1086	1086	defined as any member who lives in Newport, if none, then the senior member whose district 7
1087	1087	includes any of the City of Newport. If there are two (2) or more members of equal seniority of 8
1088	1088	service, then by that one of them that shall be senior in age. The roll of members as appears by 9
1089	1089	the list of senators shall then be called by the clerk. If a quorum is present, the member calling the 10
1090	1090	senate to order as provided above shall call for nominations for the office of president of the 11
1091	1091	senate, and shall call for a roll call vote of all members voting, and after the votes have been 12
1092	1092	counted by him or her and by the clerks of the senate, he or she shall declare the result, and the 13
1093	1093	voting shall continue until some person receives a majority of all the votes, and the person 14
1094	1094	receiving that majority shall be the president of the senate for the ensuing term of two (2) years; 15
1095	1095	(2) The member so calling the senate to order shall not receive, entertain, or put to vote any 16
1096	1096	motion or question whatever, or point of order, excepting, the adoption of interim Senate Rules 17
1097	1097	which shall precede any election; (3) Immediately upon the election of a president, the senate 18
1098	1098	shall proceed to elect by roll call vote a president pro tempore, deputy president pro tempore, 19
1099	1099	secretary of the senate and reading clerk, and shall immediately notify the house of 20
1100	1100	representatives that it is duly organized and ready to proceed with the business of the session; (4) 21
1101	1101	The secretary and clerk shall be employees of the legislative department under the jurisdiction 22
1102	1102	and control of the senate, and shall hold office for two (2) years, and until their successors are 23
1103	1103	elected and qualified; (5) Should the office of president pro tempore, deputy president pro 24
1104	1104	tempore, secretary of the senate and reading clerk become vacant during the session term, the 25
1105	1105	president shall call for elections. Should the office of president become vacant during the session 26
1106	1106	term, the president pro tempore shall preside over an election using subsection (1) above. 27
1107	1107	SECTION 11. 28
1108	1108	TRANSPARENCY 29
1109	1109	11.1 Policy. 30
1110	1110	It is declared to be the policy of the senate that to the maximum extent possible senate 31
1111	1111	votes on public bills, elections and proceedings on the floor and in committee shall be recorded, 32
1112	1112	or video screened and published on the general assembly website and/or broadcast on capitol 33
1113	1113	television. 34
1114	1114
1115	1115
1116	1116	LC002312 - Page 31 of 31
1117	1117	11.2 Publication of Committee Votes. 1
1118	1118	To the extent possible, committee votes shall be published on the general assembly 2
1119	1119	website prior to the floor vote on the bill; provided however, that failure of a committee vote to 3
1120	1120	appear on the website prior to the floor vote shall not be grounds for objection to consideration of 4
1121	1121	the bill on the floor. 5
1122	1122	11.3 Televising or Otherwise Recording Committee Hearing. 6
1123	1123	To the extent possible, committee hearings shall be video recorded and broadcast to the 7
1124	1124	public on capitol television. 8
1125	1125	11.4 Publication of Votes. 9
1126	1126	All votes on public bills recorded electronically or by roll call shall be placed forthwith 10
1127	1127	on the general assembly website. 11
1128	1128	11.5 Publication of the Senate Rules. 12
1129	1129	The senate rules together with an index thereof shall be published on the general 13
1130	1130	assembly website. 14
1131	1131	11.6 Authorization and Direction. 15
1132	1132	The president of the senate and the senate staff are authorized and directed to take such 16
1133	1133	reasonable and prudent action as may be necessary to carry out the policies and directives set 17
1134	1134	forth in this section. 18
1135	1135	========
1136	1136	LC002312
1137	1137	========
1138	1138