STATE OF CONNECTICUT
Senate Resolution No. 2                          Page 1
Referred to Committee on NO COMMITTEE
                                            LCO No.  640
Introduced by SEN. JEPSEN, 27th DIST.
                                  General Assembly
                                  January Session, A.D., 1997
RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE RULES OF THE SENATE.
Resolved by the Senate:
    The following are  the  Senate  Rules  for  the 1997 and 1998
sessions:
    l. The President shall take the chair on each session day, at
the hour to  which  the  Senate  stands  adjourned. The President
shall thereupon call  the  Senate  to  order and after prayer and
recitation of the  pledge  of allegiance, if a quorum is present,
proceed to business.
    2. In the  absence of a quorum, the President may adjourn the
Senate to a  subsequent  time  on that day or to the next session
day. At all other times an adjournment shall be pronounced by the
President on motion.
    3. The President  shall  preserve order and decorum and shall
decide all questions  of  order,  upon  which  no debate shall be
allowed except at  the request of the President; but the decision
shall be subject  to  an  appeal  to  the  Senate  which  must be
seconded and on  which  no  member shall speak more than once. No
other business shall  be  in  order until such appeal is disposed
of.
    4. The President  shall  rise to put a question or to address
the Senate, but may read sitting.
    5. If there  is  any disturbance, disorderly conduct or other
activity in or  about the Senate Chamber which, in the opinion of
the presiding officer,  may impede the orderly transaction of the
business of the  Senate,  the  presiding  officer  may  take such
action as is deemed necessary to preserve and restore order.
    6. If the  President  while  presiding,  wishes  to leave the
chair, the president  pro  tempore  shall  preside,  or,  in  the
absence of the president pro tempore, the president pro tempore's
designee shall preside for a period not exceeding one day.
    7. Within one  week  after  appointment,  the  President  Pro
Tempore  shall  nominate  a  chaplain  and  up  to  three  deputy
chaplains, and if such nominations are confirmed by the Senate by
a majority vote,  the candidates so nominated and confirmed shall
serve for the 1997 and 1998 sessions.
    8. The clerk  shall  keep  a journal of the Senate, and shall
enter therein a  record  of each day's proceedings and record any
amendment that may be offered to any bill or resolution.
    9. Upon acceptance  of  a  Senate  agenda, the clerk's office
shall  act  upon   the   items  listed  as  indicated  and  shall
incorporate the items  by  reference  in  the  Senate journal and
Senate transcript. The  clerk  shall  keep a Calendar on which he
shall enter daily  (1)  all  bills and joint resolutions received
from the House  for action except (a) bills and resolutions which
do not have  a favorable report of a joint committee which shall,
upon being read  by the clerk, be referred without further action
to the appropriate committee, (b) all bills and joint resolutions
received from the  House  for action by the Senate which have not
been referred by  the  Senate to any committee, and (2) all bills
and  resolutions  favorably  reported  to  the  Senate  from  any
committee; and these  shall  be  entered  on  the Calendar in the
order in which they are received. Each joint resolution proposing
an amendment to  the  constitution and each bill so entered shall
be printed and  in  the  files  and  on the Calendar, with a file
number for two  session  days  and shall be starred for action on
the session day  next  succeeding,  except  that:  (A)  A bill or
resolution certified in  accordance  with  section  2-26  of  the
general statutes, if  filed  in  the House, may be transmitted to
and acted upon  first  by  the  Senate  with  the  consent of the
speaker; and if  filed  in  the Senate, may be transmitted to and
acted upon first  by  the House with the consent of the president
pro tempore, (B)  any  bill or resolution certified in accordance
with section 2-26  of  the  general  statutes,  may be acted upon
immediately in the first house, may be transmitted immediately to
the second house  and may be acted upon immediately when received
by the second  house,  (C)  if  the  Senate  rejects an amendment
adopted by the  House,  the bill or resolution after final action
by the Senate  may be transmitted immediately to the House, or if
the House rejects an amendment adopted by the Senate, the bill or
resolution when received from the House may be placed immediately
on the Calendar, (D) during the last five days of the session, if
the Senate rejects an amendment adopted by the House, or adopts a
Senate amendment to a bill or resolution received from the House,
or takes any  action  on the bill or resolution requiring further
action by the House, the bill or resolution after final action in
the Senate, may  be  transmitted  immediately to the House, or if
the House rejects  an amendment adopted by the Senate or adopts a
House amendment to a bill or resolution received from the Senate,
or takes any  action  on the bill or resolution requiring further
action by the  Senate,  the bill or resolution when received from
the House may  be  placed  immediately on the calendar and may be
acted upon immediately,  or  (E) during the last five days of the
session, any bill  or resolution after final action by the senate
may be transmitted  immediately  to  the  house.  All  bills  and
resolutions starred for  action  shall  be  acted  upon only when
reached in their regular order, and any bill or resolution passed
over when so  reached  shall  retain  its  place  on the Calendar
unless it is  put  on  the  foot  of  the  Calendar or unless its
consideration is made  the  order  of  the day for some specified
time.
    10. The clerk  shall  retain all bills, resolutions and other
papers, in reference  to  which  any member has a right to move a
reconsideration, until the  right of reconsideration has expired,
and no longer.
    11. The clerk  shall  also  keep  a  record of all petitions,
resolutions, and bills  for  all acts which are presented for the
consideration of the  Senate, and said record shall be so kept as
to show by a single reference the action of the Senate on each of
them to that date.
    12. The assistant  clerk  shall  have  the  same  powers  and
perform the same duties as the clerk, subject to the direction of
the clerk. The  bill  clerk  and  the journal clerk shall perform
such duties as are assigned to them by the clerk.
    13. The clerk  shall  cause  the journals and calendars to be
distributed on the desks of the members daily, before the opening
of the session.
    14. No member  shall  speak  more  than  twice  upon the same
question without leave of the Senate, except to explain.
    15. No member  who  is  interested  in  the  decision  of any
question in such  manner  that  he or she cannot vote thereon may
stay in the Senate when such question is discussed or decided.
    16. If a  member,  in speaking or otherwise, transgresses the
rules and order of the Senate, the president shall, or any member
may, call such  member  to  order;  and  if speaking, such member
shall sit down,  unless  permitted to explain; and if a member is
guilty of a  breach  of  any of the rules and orders, such member
may be required  by  the  Senate, on motion, to make satisfaction
therefor, and until  satisfaction  has  been  made  shall  not be
allowed to vote or speak except by way of excuse.
    17. If a  candidate  for  the Senate notifies the clerk on or
before  the opening  day  of  the  session  that  such  candidate
contests the results  of  the election for his or her district, a
committee of three  shall  be  appointed  by  the  President  Pro
Tempore within the  first two days of the session. If a candidate
for the Senate  in a special election notifies the clerk no later
than fourteen days  following  such  election that such candidate
contests the results  of  the election for his or her district, a
committee of three  shall  be  appointed  by  the  president  pro
tempore no later  than  sixteen days following such election. The
committee shall take  into  consideration such contested election
and report the facts with its opinion thereon.
    18. The majority  leader, other leaders of the majority party
in the Senate  and  the chairperson and vice chairpersons of each
standing and select committee shall be appointed by the president
pro tempore of  the  Senate.  Chairpersons  and vice chairpersons
shall serve at  the pleasure of the president pro tempore and the
majority leader. The clerks of the standing and select committees
and  the chairpersons  of  the  subcommittees  thereof  shall  be
appointed by the  chairpersons  of the respective committees with
the approval of  the  president  pro  tempore  of the Senate. The
minority leader shall  be  elected by the members of the minority
party in the  Senate  and the other leaders of the minority party
in the Senate  shall  be  appointed  by  the minority leader. The
minority leader shall  appoint  ranking  minority members to each
standing and select  committee.  Such ranking members shall serve
at the pleasure  of  the minority leader. All standing and select
committee members shall be appointed by the president pro tempore
by the fifth  regular  session day of the first year of the term,
except to fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  death  or  incapacity  or
resignation from the  Senate or from a committee; and except that
the president pro  tempore  may  appoint any member elected after
the fifth regular  session  day  of the first year of the term to
any committee within  five  calendar  days after the member takes
the  oath of  office.  Not  more  than  nine  senators  shall  be
appointed to any standing committee. The member first named shall
be chairperson. The chairperson of each committee may appoint one
of the members  of  the  committee  as  clerk thereof. All Senate
leaders,  standing  committee   assignments,  chairpersons,  vice
chairpersons and clerks and subcommittee chairpersons shall serve
for both the 1997 and the 1998 sessions.
    19. The order of business shall be as follows:
    1. Reception of petitions.
    2. Reception of  communications  from the governor, secretary
of the state,  annual  and  biennial  reports,  interim committee
reports and reports.
    3. Introduction of bills and resolutions.
    4. Reports of committees.
    5. Reception of business from the House.
    6. Business on the calendar.
    7. Introduction of guests.
    8. Miscellaneous business.
    9. Resolutions removed from consent calendar.
    20. Before any  petition  or  resolution is received, a brief
statement of its object shall be made by the introducer.
    21. When a  motion  is made, it shall be stated to the Senate
by the president  before  any  debate  is  had thereon, and every
motion shall be reduced to writing if the president so directs or
any member desires it.
    22. When a  motion is stated by the president, or read by the
clerk, it shall  be deemed to be in the possession of the Senate.
It may be  withdrawn  by the mover at any time before decision or
amendment, but not  after  amendment,  unless  the  Senate  gives
leave.
    23. If the  question  under  debate  consists  of two or more
independent propositions any member may move to have the question
divided. The president  shall  rule on the order of voting on the
divisions of a question.
    24. The yeas and nays shall be taken on the roll call machine
on all final  action  on bills on the regular calendar and on all
other  questions at  the  desire  of  one-fifth  of  the  members
present, expressed at any time before a declaration of the vote.
    25. Whenever the  result of a vote as stated by the presiding
officer is doubted, it shall be taken again by rising.
    26. When a  vote has been taken, it shall be in order for any
senator on the  prevailing  side  to  move  for a reconsideration
thereof on the  day of the vote or on the next succeeding session
day, if the  bill  is  still  in  the  possession  of the Senate;
provided also that  there  shall  be  no  reconsideration  of the
following motions: To  adjourn,  for  the previous question or to
reconsider, and no question shall be twice reconsidered.
    27. Pairs may  be  made  by senators whose votes if they were
present would be  cast  on  opposite  sides  of  any question, by
filing with the  clerk of the Senate a memorandum, containing the
names of the  senators,  and their votes, who are thus paired and
the subject matter or matters to which such pairs apply. Senators
making any such  pairs  shall  be  excused  from  voting upon the
merits of the  matters  involved while the pair continues, but no
pairs  shall operate  while  both  of  the  senators  paired  are
present.
    28. Persons, other  than  members  of  the  General Assembly,
shall not be  permitted on the floor of the Senate while it is in
session. This rule  shall  not  apply to the staff of the General
Assembly, to any  state  or  municipal  official or member of the
media who has  been given permission to be on the Senate floor by
the president of  the  Senate,  president  pro  tempore, majority
leader or minority  leader,  or  to persons invited to the Senate
for purposes of recognition or ceremony. Other persons who desire
to speak with a member of the Senate while it is in session shall
communicate such desire  through  one of the messengers and shall
not converse with  such member in the chamber while the Senate is
in session. Lobbyists  shall  be prohibited from the floor of the
Senate while it is in session.
    29. When a  question  is  under  debate,  no  motion shall be
received except:
    1. To adjourn.
    2. To recess.
    3. For the previous question.
    4. To close the debate at a specified time.
    5. To pass temporarily.
    6. To pass retain.
    7. To postpone to a certain time.
    8. To commit or recommit.
    9. To divide the question.
    10. To amend.
    11. To refer to another committee.
    12. To postpone indefinitely.
    13. To place at foot of calendar.
    These several motions  shall  have  precedence  in  the order
listed in this  rule,  and  no  motion  to commit or recommit, to
continue  to  the   next   General   Assembly   or   to  postpone
indefinitely, having been once decided, shall be again allowed at
the same session  and  at  the  same state of the bill or subject
matter.
    30. Amendments shall  be  filed  with the clerk of the Senate
before 12 noon  on  the day the bill is acted upon. Exceptions to
this rule shall  be  allowed  (1) upon approval of any two of the
following: The president  pro tempore, the majority leader of the
Senate, the minority  leader  of the Senate or (2) in the case of
bills  or  resolutions   not  starred  for  action  or  bills  or
resolutions  reported in  accordance  with  subparagraph  (a)  of
paragraph d of  Rule 15 of the joint rules for the Senate and the
House of Representatives.
    Any member who offers an amendment, originating in the Senate
which, if adopted,  would reduce state revenues or increase state
expenditures by a  specified  amount  or  which  would  involve a
significant fiscal impact, shall make available to the president,
president pro tempore,  the majority leader of the Senate and the
minority leader of  the  Senate  at  the  time  the  amendment is
offered, in addition  to  a fiscal note, a signed and typewritten
explanation, of the decrease in expenditures or the source of the
increased revenues required to balance the state budget.
    Whenever a bill  or  resolution  is substantively amended, it
may  be  referred   to   the   legislative  commissioners  to  be
re-examined for the  purposes  set  forth  in  Rule  13 and to be
reprinted as amended. The legislative commissioners' office shall
complete its examination  of  any such bill within three calendar
days of its receipt. It shall then be printed in the files with a
file number and  marked on the calendar starred for action on the
session day on which it appears.
    31. There shall  be  a  consent  calendar  on  which shall be
entered such bills  and  resolutions as the majority and minority
leaders of the  respective  house  shall designate. All bills and
resolutions starred for  action  on the consent calendar shall be
passed on motion  without  discussion  unless, at any time before
voting has commenced,  a  member  requests  removal  of a bill or
resolution from the  consent  calendar in which case such bill or
resolution shall be so removed.
    32. The rules of parliamentary practice comprised in the 1989
edition of Mason's  Manual  of Legislative Procedure shall govern
the  Senate  whenever   applicable  and  whenever  they  are  not
inconsistent with the  standing  rules and order of the Senate or
the joint rules of the Senate and House of Representatives.
    33. The rules  of  the  Senate shall take precedence over the
joint rules of the Senate and House of Representatives or Mason's
Manual of Legislative Procedure in the event of conflict.
    34. No person  shall  smoke  in  the  Senate  chamber  or the
gallery. The presiding officer shall enforce this rule.
    35. These rules  shall  not  be altered, amended or suspended
except by vote  of  at  least  two-thirds of the members present.
Motions to suspend  the  rules  shall  be in order on any session
day. Suspension of a rule shall be for a specified purpose; after
the accomplishment of  such  purpose,  the  rule  shall remain in
force as before.
    36.  Every member  present  in  the  Senate  Chamber  when  a
question is put  by  the  presiding  officer  shall  vote, unless
excused under Rule 15.