USA > Wisconsin > The Wisconsin blue book 1889 > Part 16
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1. On Judiciary.
2. On State Affairs.
3. On Finance, Banks and Insurance.
4. On Railroads.
5. On Education. -
6. On Manufactures and Commerce.
7. On Assessment and Collection of Taxes.
8. On Incorporations and Public Improvements.
9. On Town and County Affairs.
10. On Public Lands.
11. On Military Affairs.
12. On Public Health and Safety.
13. Ou Privileges and Elections.
14. On Legislative Expenditures.
15. On Federal Relations.
16. On Roads and Bridges
17. On Agriculture.
18. On Engrossed Bills.
19. On Eurolled Bills.
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RULES OF THE SENATE.
The following shall be joint committees, and shall be constituted as follows:
1. On Claims .*- Three from the Senate and five from the Assembly.
2. On Charitable and Penal Institutions. - Three from Senate and five from the As- sembly.
8. On Printing.t -Three from the Senate and three from the Assembly.
REPORTERS, PERSONS PRIVILEGED TO FLOOR OF SENATE.
14 .- Reporters for newspapers can have seats assigned them by the President, within the bar of the Chamber, for the purpose of taking down the proceedings, but not so as to interfere with the convenience of the Senate. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secre- tary of State, Treasurer, Attorney-General. Senators, Ex-Senators, and Members of Con- gress, Judges of any Court, Senators, and ex-members of State Legislatures, and Members of the Assembly of this State, and all editors of newspapers in the State may be admitted to seats within the bar of the Senate.
ORDER OF BUSINESS.
15 .- The order of business shall be as follows:
1. Call of the roll.
2. Correction of the journal.
8. Communications to the Legislature.
4. Resolutions may be offered.
5. Introduction and reference of bills.
6. Reports of Standing Committees.
7. Reports of Select Committees.
8. Executive Communications.
9. Communications from the Assembly, and action thereon.
10. Senate resolutions may be considered.
11. Bills ready for a third reading.
12. Bills on their third reading.
13. Bills ready for engrossment and third reading.
14. Bills reported by Committee of the Whole.
15. Bills not yet considered in the Committee of the Whole.
CALL TO ORDER.
16. - When any Senator is about to speak in debate or deliver any matter to the Senate, he shall rise from his seat and respectfully address himself to " Mr. President," and shall confine,himself to the question under consideration, and avoid personalities.
17 .- When any Senator is called to order, he shall sit down until it shall be determined whether he is in order or not, except he be permitted to explain; and if a Senator be called to order for words spoken in debate, the exceptional words shall be taken down in writing immediately.
18 .- When two or more Senators happen to rise at the same time, the President shall name the Senator who is first to speak.
19 .- No Senator shall speak more than twice on the same question during the same day, without the consent of the Senate.
20 .- While the President is putting any question or addressing the Senate, no Senator shall walk out of or across the room, nor entertain private discourse; nor whilst a Senator Is speaking, shall pass between him and the Chair. No Senator or other person shall visit or remain by the Clerk's table while the ayes and noes are being called or the ballots counted.
21 .- No Senator shall vote on any question in any case where he was not in the Chamber of the Senate when the question was put, unless by leave of the Senate; nor shall any Senator be counted, upon a division and count of the Senate. who shall be without the Chamber at the time. The word "chamber " shall be construed as including the lobby and gallery, and the rooms of the President, Chief Clerk, Sergeant-at-Arms and the post office.
EVERY SENATOR TO VOTE UNLESS EXCUSED.
22 .- Every Senator who may be within the Senate Chamber when the question is put, shall give his vote, unless the Senate shall excuse him from voting. When a question is be- ing taken, or about to be taken, it shall be competent for any Senator to call for the ares and noes, which shall be entered on the journal. All motions to excuse a Senator from vot-
ยท Seo Secs. 106 and 117 R. S.
1 Sec Sec. 106 R. S.
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WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK
Ing shall be made before the call of the ayes and noes is commenced, and any Senator wish- Ing to be excused from voting may briefly and pertinently explain his reasons therefor before the call of the ayes and noes is commenced; but when the ayes and noes are being taken, the call shall not be interrupted for any purpose whatever.
23 .- When a motion is made it shall be stated by the President, or, being in writing, it shall be handed to the Chair, and read aloud before debate.
24 .- Every motion shall be reduced to writing, if the President or any Senator desire it. 25 .- After a motion is stated by the President, or read by the Clerk, it shall be deemed to be in possession of the Senate, but may be withdrawn or altered at any time before a decision or amendment, on leave of the Senate.
26 .- When a question is under debate, no motion shall be in order, except to fix a day to which to adjourn, to adjourn, to send for papers for re-consideration, to reconsider, to lay on the table, for the previous question, to postpone to a day certain, to commit. to amend. to strike out the enacting clause, or postpone indefinitely; and these several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they herein stand arranged. But a motion to post- pone to a day certain, to strike out the enacting clause, or postpone indefinitely, shall not again be in order on the same day, or at the same stage of the proposition.
27 .- A motion to adjourn shall always be in order, except as restricted by the "previous question." A motion to adjourn, to lay on the table, to take a recess, shall be decided with- out debate.
THE PREVIOUS QUESTION.
28 .- Any Senator may move the previous question. It being seconded by four Senators aside from the mover, "the previous question " shall be put in this form: "Shall the main question now be put?" It shall only be admitted when sustained by a majority of Senators present, and shall preclude amendments and further debate, until the main question shall have been disposed of. The "main question " shall be the original proposition and pend- ing amendments. When the Senate shall have determined that the main question shall not now be put, the pending subject shall be considered as remaining under debate, and may be proceeded with and determined upon in the same manner as though the previous question had not been moved. When the Senate shall have determined that the main question shall now be put, its effect shall be to bring the Senate to a direct vote - first on pending amendments in their order, and then on the main question, without debate or fur- ther amendment. But after the previous question has been seconded, and prior to the Senate having determined that the main question shall now be put, a motion to adjourn and a call of the Senate shall each be in order, but no further motion or call shall be in order, except to receive the report of the Sergeant-at-Arms, or dispense with proceedings under the call; and all motions and proceedings authorized by this rule shall be decided without debate, whether on appeal or otherwise.
RECONSIDERATION.
29 .- It shall be in order for any Senator who voted with the prevailing side on any ques- tion, to move a reconsideration of such vote, on the same or next succeeding day that the Senate shall be in session, and such motion shall take precedence of all other questions, ex- cept a motion to fix a day to which to adjourn, or to adjourn. A motion to reconsider har- Ing been put and determined, shall not again be in order.
DIVISION OF QUESTION.
80 .- Any Senator may call for a division of the question when the same will admit of it. A motion to strike out being lost shall not preclude an amendment, nor a motion to strike out and insert.
PAPERS TO BE READ BEFORE PRESENTED.
81 .- A Senator offering a resolution or an amendment to a bill, resolution or memorial, may read the same in his place before presenting it to the President; and every petition, memorial, remonstrance, resolution, bill and report of committee shall be indorsed with its appropriate title, and immediately under the indorsement, the name of the Senator pre- senting the same shall be written.
CALL OF THE SENATE.
32 .- Any three Senators may make a call of the Senate and require absent Senators to be sent for, but a call of the Senate cannot be made after the voting has commenced; and a call of the Senate being ordered, the doors shall be closed and the absentees noted, and
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RULES OF THE SENATE.
no Senator permitted to leave the room until the report of the Sergeant-at-Arms be received and acted upon, or further proceedings in the call be suspended, or the Senate adjourn. Previous to the reception of such report, further proceedings in the call shall not be sus- pended, except by the vote of two-thirds of the Senators present.
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE.
33 .- The rules observed by the Senate shall govern as far as practicable the proceedings in Committee of the Whole, except that a Senator may speak oftener than twice on the same subject, and that a call of the ayes and noes, or for the previous question, cannot be made in committee.
34 .- Amendments made in Committee of the Whole, shall be entered on a separate piece of paper, and reported to the Senate by the chairman, standing in his place on the floor of the Senate. All amendments and other propositions reported by Committee of the Whole shall be disposed of in the same manner as if proposed in the Senate.
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS AND PAPERS.
35 .- All bills, resolutions, reports and papers, when introduced, shall be indorsed with the name of the Senator, or Committee, presenting the same to the Senate.
36 .- Every bill, memorial or joint resolution requiring the signature of the Governor shall receive three several readings previous to its passage. But no such bill or memorial, or joint resolution, shall receive a second and third reading on the same day.
COMMITMENTS.
37 .- No bill or joint resolution shall be committed or amended until it has been twice read. If objections are raised to the bill on its first reading, the question shall be, "shall the bill be rejected?" If no objection be made, or the question to reject be lost, the bill shall go to its second reading.
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MAY CONSIDER BILLS.
38 .- When a bill, joint resolution, or memorial to congress shall have received two readings, and been reported to the Senate for further action, the bill, resolution or mem- orial shall be placed on the calendar of bills on their engrossment and third reading. No bill or memorial shall be ordered to a third reading on the same day on which it is reported by the committee, except on the last day of the session.
COPIES TO BE PRINTED.
39 .- Two hundred and fifty copies of every bill, joint resolution or memorial, of a general nature, shall be printed after the second reading, unless otherwise ordered; and all bills, resolutions and amendments, after being printed, shall remain at least one day on the files before being considered.
ENGROSSMENT OF BILLS
40 .- The final question upon the second reading of every bill or other paper, originating in the Senate, and requiring three readings previous to being passed, shall be, "shall it be engrossed and read a third time?" And upon every such bill or paper originating in the Assembly, " shall it be ordered to a third reading?"
AMENDMENTS ON THIRD READING.
41 .- After a bill has been read a third time, no amendment shall be in order. except to fill blanks, without the unanimous consent of the Senate, unless, on commitment, such amendments shall have been reported by a committee, in which case, after amendments so reported shall have been disposed of, the question shall be the same as was pending before the reference, unless otherwise ordered by the Senate. A bill, resolution or memorial, may be committed at any time previous to its passage.
BILLS TO BE ENGROSSED.
12 .- Every bill, joint resolution, or memorial originating in the Senate shall be carefuly engrossed before being transmitted to the Assembly for concurrence.
CLERK TO TRANSMIT BILLS TO THE ASSEMBLY.
43 .- Immediately after the passage of any bill or other paper, to which the concurrence of the Assembly is to be asked, it shall be the duty of the clerk to transmit the same to the Assembly, unless some member of the Senate shall make a motion to reconsider the vote by which the Senate passed said bill or other paper, in which case the Clerk shall not transmit said bill or other paper, until the motion to reconsider has been put; and on the concurrence
2
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WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK.
in any bill or other paper of the Assembly, by the Senate, or on the concurrence or disagree- ment in any vote of the Assembly by the Senate, it shall also be the duty of the Clerk to notify the Assembly thereof.
MEMORIALS TO CONGRESS.
44 .- Memorials to Congress, to the President of the United States, or the heads of either of the departments, may be considered in Committee of the Whole before being adopted.
COMMITTEES NOT TO BE ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE.
45 .- Committees shall not absent themselves from the Senate by reason of their appoint. ment, unless special leave for that purpose be first obtained. -
ENROLLMENT.
46 .- It shall be in order for the Committee on Enrolled Bills to report at any time.
MAJORITY VOTE.
47 .- When an amendment of the Constitution, or any bill requiring the concurrence of more than a majority of the members present, is under consideration, a mere majority may decide all questions arising thereon, except the final question.
1
AYES AND NOES TO BE CALLED AND CERTIFIED.
48 .- Upon the final passage of any bill or proposition in which the concurrence of more than a majority of Senators present is required by the Constitution of this State, the ques- tion shall be taken by ayes and noes, which shall be entered at large upon the journal, and it shall be the duty of the Chief Clerk to certify on the back of every such bill or propo- sition, the number of Senators voting for and against the passage of the same.
PRESIDENT TO ADMINISTER OATHS.
49 .- The President is authorized to administer all oaths prescribed in the foregoing rules.
HOUR OF MEETING.
50 .- The standing hour for the daily meeting of the Senate shall be 10 o'clock in the morning until the Senate direct otherwise.
RESOLUTIONS TO LIE OVER.
51 .- All resolutions introduced shall remain on the files one day before being considered, and all resolutions involving the expenditure of money, shall, on their introduction, be re- ferred to an appropriate committee and reported upon before being considered.
AMENDMENTS BY SUBSTITUTE - HOW MADE.
52 .- No bill or resolution shall be amended by substitute, otherwise than by striking out all after the enacting or resolving clause, and inserting the substitute without any enacting or resolving clause. And whenever a bill is amended in a manner that requires a change in the title of the bill, the title shall be amended to correspond with the amended bill at the game time.
JEFFERSON'S MANUAL THE STANDARD.
53 .- The rules of parliamentary practice, comprised in Jefferson's Manual, shall govern the Senate in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with these rules and the orders of the Senate, and the joint rules and orders of the Senate and Assembly.
CHANGING OF RULES.
54 .- No standing rule of the Senate shall be rescinded, changed or suspended, except by a vote of at least two-thirds of the members present.
93
RULES OF THE ASSEMBLY.
-
RULES OF THE ASSEMBLY.
MEETING, QUORUM, PRIVILEGES, ETO.
1 .- The hour for the meeting of the Assembly shall be at 10 o'clock, A. M., unless a dif- ferent hour shall be prescribed by resolution.
2 .- Before proceeding to business. the roll of the members elected to the Assembly shall be called, and the names of those present and absent shall be entered on the journal. A ma- jority of all the members elected must be present to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business ; a smaller number, however, can adjourn from time to time, and shall have power to compel the attendance of the absent members.
3 .- No member or officer of the Assembly, unless from illness or other cause he shall be unable to attend, shall absent himself from the sessions of the Assembly during an entire day, without first having obtained leave of absence.
4 .- Contestants for seats shall have the privileges of the House until their respective cases are disposed of; the privileges to extend only so far as access to the Assembly Chamber, during the time occupied in settling the contest.
WHO MAY BE ADMITTED TO THE FLOOR.
5 .- Persons of the following classes, and no others, shall be admitted to the floor of the House during the session thereof, viz .: The Governor and Lieutenant Governor; Members of the Senate; the State officers; the Regents of the University; Members of Congress; Judges of the Supreme and other Courts; ex-Members of the Wisconsin Legislature: all editors of newspapers within the State, and reporters for the press; such other persons as the Speaker may invite.
DISTURBANCE IN LOBBY.
6 .- Whenever any disturbance or disorderly conduct shall occur in the lobby or gallery, the Speaker (or the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole) shall have power to cause the same to be cleared of all persons, except members and officers of the Assembly.
READING NEWSPAPERS AND SMOKING PROHIBITED.
7 .- No member or officer of the Assembly shall be permitted to read newspapers within the bar of the House while the Assembly is in session; nor shall any person be permitted to smoke in the Assembly room while the Assembly is in session.
OF THE OFFICERS.
8 .- The Assembly shall elect, viva voce. one of its members as presiding officer, who shall be styled SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, and he shall hold his office during one session.
DUTIES OF SPEAKER.
9 .- It shall be the general duty of the Speaker-
To open the session. at the time to which the Assembly is adjourned, by taking the chair and calling the members to order;
To announce the business before the Assembly in the order in which it is to be acted upon; To receive and submit, in the proper manner, all motions and propositions presented by the members;
To put to vote all questions which are regularly moved, or which necessarily arise in the course of proceedings, and to announce the result;
To restrain the members when engaged in debate, within the rules of order:
To enforce on all occasions the observance of order and decorum among the members:
To inform the Assembly, when necessary, or when referred to for the purpose, in a point of order or practice;
To receive messages and other communications from other branches of the government and announce them to the Assembly ;
To authenticate, by his signature, when necessary, all the acts, orders and proceedings of the Assembly;
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WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK.
To name the members- when directed to do so in a particular case, or when it is a part of his general duty by these rules - who are to serve on committees: and in general;
To represent and stand for the Assembly, declaring its will, and in all things obeying its commands. Every officer of the Assembly is subordinate to the Speaker, and, in all that relates to the prompt and correct discharge of official duty, is under his supervision.
10 .- The Speaker shall preserve order and decorum; may speak to points of order in preference to others, rising from his seat for that purpose: and he shall decide questions of order, subject to an appeal to the Assembly by any member, on which appeal no member shall speak more than once unless by leave of the Assembly. On an appeal being taken, the question shall be: " Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the judgment of the Assem- bly?"- which question, and the action of the Assembly thereon. shall be entered on the journal.
11 .- The Speaker may call a member to the Chair, but such substitution shall not extend beyond an adjournment.
12 .- In the absence of the Speaker, the assembly shall elect a Speaker pro tempore, whose office shall cease on the return of the Speaker.
13 .- The Speaker shall vote on a call for the yeas and nays, and his name shall be re- corded with those of the other members.
DUTIES OF THE CLERK.
14 .- A CHIEF CLERK shall be elected at the commencement of each session, to hold his office at the pleasure of the assembly ; he shall keep a correct journal of the daily proceed- ings of the body, and perform such other duties as may be assigned to him; he shall super- intend the recording of the journals of proceedings; the engrossing, enrolling, transcribing and copying of bills, resolutions, etc .; shall permit no records or papers belonging to the Assembly to be taken out of his custody, otherwise than in the regular course of business; shall report any missing papers to the notice of the Speaker; and generally shall perform, under direction of the Speaker all duties pertaining to his office as Clerk, and shall be re- sponsible for the official acts of his assistants.
15 .- The Chief Clerk shall appoint one assistant to aid in the performance of his duties at the desk, and he shall be styled the Journal Clerk. He shall also appoint the necessary corps of assistants to act as Book-keeper, Engrossing and Enrolling Clerks.
CHIEF CLERK MAY CORRECT CERTAIN ERRORS.
16 .- The Chief Clerk and his engrossing clerks, in all proper cases, shall correct any mere clerical error in any Assembly bill, memorial or resolution, such as errors in orthogra- phy, or the use of one word for another. as affect for "effect," previous for "previously," are for "is," banks for "bank," and the like; and also all mistakes for numbering the sec- tions and references thereto, whether such errors occur in the original bill, or are caused by amendments made thereto. It shall also be competent for the Chief Clerk at any time before the passage of any Assembly bill. to insert therein an "enacting clause," when such clause has evidently been omitted through mistake or inadvertence. But no corrections. other than such as are authorized by this rule, shall be made at any time by the Clerk or his assistants, unless upon the order of the Assembly. On questions of orthography, Webster's Unabridged Dictionary shall be taken as the standard.
ACTS, ETC., TO BE SIGNED BY THE SPEAKER AND CLERK.
17 .- All acts, addresses and resolutions shall be signed by the Speaker, and all writs, warrants and subponas issued by order of the Assembly, shall be under his hand and attested by the Clerk.
DUTIES OF SERGEANT-AT-ARMS.
18 .- A Sergeant-at-Arms shall be elected at the commencement of each session to hold his office at the pleasure of the Assembly. It shall be his duty to execute all orders of the Speaker or Assembly, and to perform all the duties they may assign to him connected with the police and good order of the Assembly Chamber; to exercise a supervision over the ingress and egress of all persons to and from the Chamber: to see that messages, etc., are promptly executed; that the hall is properly ventilated, and is open for the use of the mem- bers of the Assembly from 8 A. M. until 10 P. M., and to perform all other services pertain- ing to the office of Sergeant-at Aring.
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RULES OF THE ASSEMBLY.
COMMITTEES.
19 .- The standing committees of the Assembly shall consist of five members each, ex- cept the committee on Judiciary, the committee on Railroads, and the committee on Cities, which shall consist of nine members each, and the committee on State Affairs, which shall consist of seven members, and shall be as follows:
1. On Judiciary.
2. On Bills in the Third Reading.
3. On Ways and Means. 15. On Militia.
4. On Federal Relations.
16. On Agriculture.
17. On Town and County Organization.
18. On Roads and Bridges.
19. On Public Lands.
20. On Medical Societies.
21. On Legislative Expenditures.
22. On Engrossed Bills.
23. On Enrolled Bills.
20. - The following committees shall be joint committees, and shall be constituted as follows:
1. On Claims. - Five from the Assembly and three from the Senate.
2. On Charitable and Penal Institutions. - Five from the Assembly and three from Senate.
3. On Printing. - Three from the Assembly and three from the Senate. '
21. - Select or special committees may be raised on motion or by resolution, designating . the number and object, and, unless otherwise ordered, shall be appointed, by the Speaker.
MAJORITY AND MINORITY REPORTS.
22 .- In case all the members of any committee required or entitled to report on any subject referred to them cannot agree upon a report, the majority and minority of such committee may each make a separate report; and any member dissenting in whole or in part, from the reasonings or conclusions of both the majority and minority, may also pre- sent to the Assembly a statement of his reasoning and conclusion; and all reports, if decorous in language and respectful to the Assembly, shall be entered at length on the journal.
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