RULES OF THE SENATE OF PENNSYLVANIA. Duties of the President-Taking the Chair. 1. The President shall take the chair, each day, at the hour to which the Senate stands adjourned, when he shall call the members to order, and on the appearance of a quorum, shall cause the Journal of the preceding day to be read, which the Senate shall have power then to correct. Order of Business. 2. The order to be observed in taking up business shall be as follows: First-The asking leave of absence. Second. The receiving of petitions, memorials, remonstrances, letters and documents from members, in the numerical order of Senatorial districts, and referring the same to appropriate committees; on motion, referring such as have been previously presented; and appointing additional members on committees. Third. The receiving of reports of committees, which shall be called for by the President, according to the order of the committees. Fourth. The reading of bills in their places by members. Fifth. The offering of original resolutions. Sixth. The considering of reports and resolutions previously presented, and the referring of items of unfinished business. Seventh.-The reading of bills the third time. Eighth.-The considering of bills in the following order: 1. Those in which the Senate has made progress on a second reading. 2. Those in which the Committee of the Whole has made some progress and has had leave to sit again. Ninth. The considering of the orders of the day. Tenth. The reading of reported and printed bills at length, on the call of Senators, which shall be the first reading of such bills, and in that state shall not be subject to amendment or to a vote thereon. Order and Decorum-President to Preserve. 3. It shall be the duty of the President to preserve order, prevent personal reflections, confine members in debate to the question and when two or more members rise at the same time, decide who shall be the first heard; but an appeal in all such cases shall lie to the Senate, and a member called to order may extenuate or justify. Business and Debates. 4. Members speaking shall address the President, and when presenting a paper shall first state its import. Members shall not speak more than twice on any question without permission of the Senate, nor be interrupted when speaking, except by a call to order by the President, or by a member through the President, or by a member to explain, or by a call for the previous question. Motions. 5. When a motion is made and seconded, it shall, before debate, be stated by the President. Every motion shall be reduced to writing, if the President or any member require it; but a motion may be withdrawn by the member making it before amendment, postponement, an order to lie on the table, or decision. To be Entered on Journal. 6. Every motion shall be entered on the Journal, together with the name of the member making it, unless it should be subsequently withdrawn. How Interrupted. 7. A question regularly before the Senate can be interrupted only by a call for the previous question, for amendment, postponement, commitment, or adjournment. Motion to Adjourn-When in Order. 8. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order, excepting when on the call for the previous question, the main question shall have been ordered to be now put, or when a member has the floor, and shall be decided without debate. The Previous Question. 9. The motion for the previous question, for postponement, for commitment, and for amendment, shall take precedence in the order mentioned, and a motion for the previous question shall preclude any of the other motions from being made; a motion to postpone shall preclude a motion to commit; or to amend a motion to commit shall preclude a motion to amend. The motion for the previous question, postponement (other than indefinite postponement) or commitment, shall preclude debate on the original subject. The previous question shall not be moved by less than four members. Questions Following. 10. When a call for the previous question has been mɛde and sustained, the question shall be upon pending amendments and the main question, in their regular order, and all incidental questions of order arising after a motion for the previous question has been made, and pending such motion, shall be decided, whether on appeal or otherwise, without debate. Debate on Questions of Order. 11. No debate shall be allowed on questions of order, unless there be an appeal or reference by the President of the Senate. And on such appeal or reference no member shall speak more than once, unless by leave of the Senate. Filling up Blanks. 12. On filling up blanks, the question shall first be taken on the largest sum, greatest number, and most distant day. Powers and Duties of President pro tem. 13. In the absence of the President, the President pro tem. shall exercise all the powers and perform all the duties of President. On all questions, the President pro tem. shall vote last when occupying the chair. Signing of Bills, etc., by the President. 14. Acts, orders, addresses, and joint resolutions shall be signed by the President in the presence of the Senate, after their titles have been publicly read, and the fact of signing shall be entered on the Journal; and writs, warrants, and subpoenas issued by the Senate shall be signed by him and attested by the clerk. General Direction of Hall. 15. The President shall have the general direction of the hall. He may name a member to perform the duties of the chair, but such substitution shall not extend beyond an adjournment. Reconsideration. 16. When a question has been once made and carried in the affirmative or negative, it shall be in order for any two members of the majority, or when the Senate has been equally divided, or a bill shall have failed to pass, by reason of not having a constitutional majority, for any two who voted in the negative to move for the reconsideration thereof; but no motion for the reconsideration of any vote shall be in order after a bill, resolution, report, amendment, or motion, upon which the vote was taken, shall have gone out of the possession of the Senate; nor shall any motion for reconsideration be in order unless made on the same day on which the vote was taken, or within the next five days of actual session of the Senate thereafter; and such motion shall take precedence of all other questions, except a motion to adjourn, and no member shall speak on the question more than once, or for a longer time than five minutes. Bills. 17. Every bill shall be read at length on three different days in open Senate. All amendments thereto shall be printed and laid on the desks of Senators before the final vote is taken on the bill. The final vote |