USA > Wisconsin > The Wisconsin blue book 1893 > Part 17
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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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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-Arms.
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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, and the committee on Railroads, which shall consist of nine members each, and the committee on State Affairs, which shall consist of seven mem- bers, and shall be as follows:
1. On Judiciary.
2. On Bills in the Third Reading.
3. On Ways and Means.
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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PAPERS TO LIE ON THE TABLE UNTIL REPORTS ARE PRINTED.
23 .- In all cases where there shall be both majority and minority reports submitted to the Assembly, the bill, memorial, resolution or other matter reported upon, shall lie upon the table until the reports thereon shall have been printed in the journal and laid upon the desks of members.
TITLE OF BILL TO BE RECITED.
24 .- Every committee, in reporting upon any bill or memorial, shall recite at length, in their report, the title of such bill or memorial, as well as the number thereof.
ABSENCE OF COMMITTEES.
25 .- No committee shall absent themselves by reason of their appointment, during the sitting of the Assembly, without special leave, except a committee of Conference.
REVISORY COMMITTEE.
26 .- The committee on bills in the third reading shall examine and correct the bills which are referred to it, for the purpose of avoiding repetition and unconstitutional provisions, insuring accuracy in the text and reference and consistency with existing statutes; pro- vided, that any change in the sense or legal effect or any material change in the construc- tion, shall be reported to the house as an amendment.
ENGROSSMENT OF BILLS.
27 .- Whenever an Assembly bill, which is fairly written, without interlineation or era sure, is ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, without amendment, the Committee on Engrossed Bills may report such bill back to the Assembly as the engrossed bill.
REPORT ON ENROLLED BILLS.
28. - The Committee on Enrolled Bills shall not report any bill as correctly enrolled that has any words interlined therein, or when any words have been erased therefrom.
13. On Lumber and Manufactures.
14. On Public Improvements.
15. On Militia.
5. On Education.
6. On Railroads.
7. On Insurance, Banks and Banking.
8. On State Affairs.
9. On Cities.
10. On Privileges and Elections.
11. On Incorporations.
12. On Assessment and Collection of Taxes.
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29 .- It shall be in order for the Committee on Enrolled Bills to report at any time, except when questions are being taken, or a Call of the House is being had.
30 .- No standing or select committee, nor any member thereof, shall report any "sub- stitute," or "amendment," for any bill, or bills, or resolution, referred to such committee, which substitute or amendment relates to a different subject, or is intended to accomplish a different purpose than that of the original bill or resolution for which it is reported, or which, if adopted and passed, would require a title essentially different than the title of the original bill or resolution; or any substitute, bill or resolution so reported shall be rejected whenever the Assembly is advised that the same is in violation of this rule. And this rule shall not be suspended without the unanimous consent of the Assembly, and shall apply to bills or resolutions originating in the Senate, as well as those originating in the Assembly.
31 .- No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment, and no bill or resolution shall at any time be amended by annexing thereto, or incorporating therein, any other bill or resolution pend- ing before the Assembly.
Journal and Order of Business.
THE JOURNAL.
32 .- The journal of each day's proceedings shall be printed in pamphlet form and laid upon the desks of members the following morning. The journal need not be read unless ordered by the Assembly. Any member discovering an error in the journal may call the attention of the Assembly to such error and have the same corrected by the Clerk.
ORDER OF BUSINESS.
33 .- After an opportunity shall have been given to correct the journal, the order of business shall be as follows:
1. Letters, petitions, memorials, accounts, remonstrances and accompanying docu- ments may be presented and referred.
2. Resolutions may be offered.
3. Resolutions may be considered.
4. Bills may be introduced, and notice of leave to introduce bills may be given.
5. Reports of committees may be made and considered; first, from standing commit- . tees, and next, from select committees.
6. Messages and other Executive communications.
7. Messages from the Senate.
8. Bills and resolutions from the Senate on their first and second readings.
9. Senate bills on their third reading.
10. Assembly bills ready for a third reading.
11. Bills reported by a Committee of the Whole.
12. Bills in which a Committee of the Whole has made progress, and obtained leave to sit again.
13. Bills not yet considered in Committee of the Whole.
MORNING HOUR.
34 - After one hour shall have been devoted to the consideration of business under the first, second and third heads, in the preceding rule, the Assembly shall proceed to dispose of the business on the Speaker's table, and the orders of the day.
PETITIONS.
35 - Petitions, memorials, communications, and other papers addressed to the Assembly shall be presented by a member in his place; a brief statement of the contents thereof shall be made verbally and indorsed thereon, together with his name, by the member intro- ducing the same.
INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTIONS.
36 .- Any member offering a resolution in the Assembly may read the same in his place before sending it to the Chair. It shall then be read by the Clerk, and when so read shall be considered before the House; but it shall not be acted on by the House on the same day on which it is offered, without leave.
37. All bills and resolutions offered in the Assembly by any member or committee shall be indorsed by the member or committee offering the same.
THE MILWAUKEE LITHO. &ENGR. CO.
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, OSHKOSH.
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RULES OF THE ASSEMBLY.
FIRST AND SECOND READING OF THE BILLS.
38 .- The first reading of the bill shall be for information, and if objection be made to it, 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 without further question.
BILLS NOT COMMITTED UNTIL TWICE READ.
39 .- No bill or resolution that requires three readings shall be committed or amended antil it shall be twice read; and all joint resolutions which will require the signature of the Governor shall take the same course as to their reading, as in the case of bills, unless otherwise ordered by the Assembly.
REFERENCE OF BILLS, ETC.
40 .- On the second reading, every bill or memorial requiring three readings, shall be referred to the appropriate standing committee, which shall be announced by the Speaker, unless the Assembly, on motion, make a different order in relation thereto. And this rule shall apply as well to bills and memorials originating in the Senate, as to those originating in the Assembly, except bills reported by joint committee.
PRINTING OF BILLS.
41 .- Three hundred copies of the Assembly Journal and every bill, except city charters, shall be printed after a second reading, unless otherwise ordered. And all bills, resolutions and memorials, that shall be printed, shall remain at least one day on the files, after being printed, before being considered.
READING OF BILLS.
42 .- If the Assembly shall dispense with the printing of any bill or memorial, such bill or memorial shall be read at length at least once before its final passage; and this rule shall not be suspended without the unanimous consent of the Assembly.
43 .- The second and third reading of all bills appropriating money, shall be at length, and a suspension of this rule shall not be made without the unanimous consent of the As- sembly.
44 .- Every bill shall receive three several readings previous to its passage, but no bit shall receive its second and third readings on the same day. And no bill shall receive a third reading that has not been referred to one of the standing committees of the Assem- bly, or to a joint committee of the Senate and Assembly.
GENERAL FILE.
45 .- Bills committed to committees and reported back by them, bills originating with and reported by committees, and bills taking no other reference shall constitute the "Gen- eral File." Bills in the general file shall be arranged therein by the Clerk in the order in which they are reported, or referred thereto as aforesaid, and shall be considered in the same order unless the Assembly shall direct otherwise.
BILLS TO BE CONSIDERED IN COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE.
46 .- All bills, resolutions, memorials, etc., requiring the approval of the Governor, shall after the second reading, be considered by the House in Committee of the Whole, before they shall be taken up and considered by the Assembly.
How Business Conducted. ADDRESSING THE SPEAKER.
47 .- When a member is about to speak in debate or deliver any matter to the Assembly, he shall rise from his seat and respectfully address the Chair, thus: "Mr. Speaker," and shall confine himself to the question under debate, and avoid personality.
SPAEKER TO DECIDE WHO HAS THE FLOOR.
48 .- When any two or more members shall arise at the same time the Speaker shall name the person who is first to speak.
CALL TO ORDER WHILE SPEAKING.
49 .- When a member is called to order, he shall sit down, and shall not speak, except in explanation, until it shall have been determined whether he is in order or not; and if a member be called to order for words spoken, the exceptional words shall be taken down in writing, that the Speaker and Assembly may be better able to judge.
SPEAKING MORE THAN TWICE OR OUT OF PLACE PROHIBITED.
50 .- No member shall speak except in his place, nor more than twice on any question, except on leave of the Assembly.
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WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK.
ORDER WHILE THE SPEAKER OR A MEMBER IS SPEAKING.
51 .- While the Speaker is addressing the Assembly, or putting a question, no member shall cross the floor, or leave the House; nor while a member is speaking, walk between him and the Chair.
MOTIONS.
52 .- When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received, except -
1. To adjourn;
2. To lay on the table;
3. For the previous queestion;
4. To postpone to a day certain;
5. To commit to a standing committee;
6. To commit to a select committee:
7. To amend;
8. To postpone indefinitely.
And these several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they stand arranged in this rule.
53 .- A motion to strike out the enacting clause of an Assembly bill shall be considered equivalent to a motion to indefinitely postpone.
NO MEMBER TO SPEAK MORE THAN TWICE WITHOUT LEAVE.
54 .- If a question depending be lost by adjournment, and revived on the succeeding day, no member who shall have spoken twice on the preceding day shall be permitted again to speak without leave of the Assembly.
MOTIONS DECIDED WITHOUT DEBATE.
55 .- A motion to adjourn, to lay on the table, and a call for the previous question, shall be decided without debate. And all incidental questions of order, arising after a motion is made for either of the questions named in this rule, and pending such motion, shall be de- cided, whether on appeal or otherwise, without debate.
MOTIONS NOT TO BE RENEWED.
56 .- A motion to postpone to a day certain, to commit, or to postpone indefinitely, being decided, shall not be again allowed on the same day, and at the samo stage of the bill or proposition.
MOTIONS, HOW STATED, ETC.
57 .- When a motion is made, it shall be stated by the Speaker, or read by the Clerk, previous to debate. If any member require it, all motions (except to adjourn, postpone or commit) shall be reduced to writing. Any motion may be withdrawn, by consent of the Assembly, before division or amendment.
QUESTIONS, HOW PUT.
58 .- All questions shall be put in this form: "Those who are of opinion (as the case may be) say, Aye. Those of contrary opinion say, No." And in doubtful cases any member may call for a division.
AYES AND NOES, WHEN TAKEN.
59 .- It shall be competent for one-sixth of the members present, when a question is taken, to order the yeas and nays, which shall be recorded by the Clerk. In recording the votes taken by yeas and nays, the Clerk shall record the names of those absent or not voting.
MEMBERS TO VOTE UNLESS EXCUSED.
60 .- Every member present, when a question is put, or when his name is called, shall vote, unless the Assembly shall, for special cause, excuse him, but it shall not be in order for a member to be excused after the House has commenced voting.
DIVISION OF A QUESTION.
61 .- Any member may call for the division of a question, which shall be divided, if it comprehend propositions, in substance so distinct, that, one being taken away, a substan- tive proposition shall remain for the decision of the Assembly. A motion to strike out and insert shall be deemed indivisible; but a motion to strike out being lost, shall preclude neither amendment nor a motion to strike out and insert.
COMMITTAL OF PAPERS.
62 -- Bills, reports and motions may be committed at the pleasure of the Assembly.
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RULES OF THE ASSEMBLY.
FILLING BLANKS.
63. - In filling blanks the largest sum and longest time shall first be put.
TIE VOTE.
64. - In all cases, when the Assembly is equally divided, the question shall be lost.
RECONSIDERATION.
65. - When a motion or question shall have been once determined, either in the affirm- ative or negative, it shall always be in order for any member of the majority, or where the Assembly is equally divided, for any member who voted in the negative, to move for a reconsideration thereof, on the same or succeeding day. A motion to reconsider being put and lost, shall not be renewed.
NO ONE TO REMAIN BY THE CLERK'S TABLE.
66. - No member or other person shall visit or remain by the Clerk's table while the yeas and nays are being called.
CALL OF THE HOUSE.
67 .- Any fifteen members may make a call of the House and require absent members to be sent for; but a call of the House cannot be made after the voting has commenced.
68. - On a call of the House being moved, the Speaker shall say: "It requiring fifteen members to order a call of the House, those in favor of the call will rise;" and if fifteen or more shall rise, the call shall be thereby ordered.
69. - A call of the House being ordered, the Sergeant-at-Arms shall close the doors, and no member shall be allowed to leave the room.
70. - The clerk shall immediately call the roll of members, and note the absentees, whose names shall be read, and entered upon the journal in such manner as to show who are absent with leave, and who are absent without leave. The Clerk shall furnish the Sergeant- at-Arms with a list of those who are absent without leave; and the Sergeant-at-Arms shall forthwith proceed to find and bring in such absentees.
71. - While the Assembly is under a call, no business shall be transacted, except to receive and act upon the report of the Sergeant-at-Arms; and no other motion shall be in order, except a motion to adjourn and a motion to suspend further proceedings under the call; which motion shall be determined by yeas and nays; and the motion to suspend further proceedings under the call shall not be adopted unless a majority of all the members elect vote in favor thereof.
72 .- Upon the Sergeant-at-Arms making a report showing that all who were absent with- out leave (naming them), are present, such report shall be entered on the journal, and the call shall be at an end; and thereupon the doors shall be opened, and the business or motion pending at the time the call was made shall be proceeded with.
73 .- The Sergeant-at-Arms may make report of his proceedings at any time, which re- port may be accepted, and further proceedings under the call thereby dispensed with; but the motion to accept such report shall be determined by yeas and nays, and it shall not be adopted unless a majority of all the members elect shall vote in favor thereof. If such re- port be not accepted, the Sergeant-at-Arms shall proceed to a completion of his duties, as required by rule 70.
PREVIOUS QUESTION.
74 .- When any bill, memorial or resolution is under consideration, any member being in order and having the floor, may move the " previous question;" but such motion shall not be deemed to be seconded unless fifteen members concur therein.
75 .- The previous question being moved, the Speaker shall say, "It requiring fifteen members to second the motion for the previous question, those in favor of sustaining the motion will rise;" and if fifteen or more rise, the previous question shall be thereby seconded; and the question shall then be: "Shall the main question be now put?"- which question shall be determined by yeas and nay3. The main question being ordered to be now put, its effect shall be to put an end to all debate, and bring the Assembly to a direct vote upon the pending amendments, and then upon the main question.
76 .- When on taking the previous question, the Assembly shall decide that the main question shall not now be put, the main question shall remain as the question before the House, in the same stage of proceedings as before the previous question was moved.
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WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK.
77 .- On motion for the previous question, and prior to the ordering of the main ques- tion, one call of the House shall be in order; but after proceedings under such call shall have been once dispensed with, or after a majority shall have ordered the main question, no call shall be in order prior to the decision of such question.
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