Chapter 8: Motions and Other Actions During Debate
Privileged and subsidiary motions and requestsduring debate Rule 65 Incidental motions, requests and questions during debate Rule 66 Nondebatable motions Rule 67 Amendments to motions to be germane Rule 68 Motion to recess Rule 69m Voting immediately; time limit on debate Rule 71m Postponing; rejecting; referring Rule 72 Motion to retain a proposal to a second reading Rule 73m
Chapter 9: Putting Questions and Voting
Stating the question Rule 75 Voting mandatory; exceptions Rule 77 Presiding officer votes Rule 78 Division of the question Rule 80 Tie loses question Rule 81 Interruptions of clerk during roll call Rule 82
Chapter 10: Procedures Under Call
Call of the assembly Rule 83 Members to remain in chamber when under call Rule 84 Sergeant to bring in absentees Rule 85 Business under call Rule 86 Successive calls on same question Rule 88
Chapter 11: Change, Suspension, Authority of Rules
Changing assembly rules Rule 89 Suspension of the rules Rule 90 Authority and interpretation of the rules Rule 91 Continuity of assembly rules Rule 92 Special, extended, or extraordinary sessions Rule 93 Content, format, and style of rules and manual Rule 94
Chapter 12: Miscellaneous
Legislative citations Rule 96 Assembly citations Rule 97 Campaign committee activity Rule 98
A S S E M B L Y R U L E S
As last affected by 2023 Assembly Resolution 2
(Adopted January 3, 2023)
Chapter 1:
ELECTION AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS
ar1
Assembly Rule 1. Assembly officers. As early as possible in each legislative biennium, the assembly shall elect from among its members, by roll call vote of a majority of those present, a speaker of the assembly and a speaker pro tempore, and from outside its membership a chief clerk and a sergeant at arms. Those officers shall serve for the legislative biennium unless separated by death, resignation, or removal by a majority of the current membership of the assembly. A midterm vacancy in any of those offices shall be filled by an election scheduled by the speaker as a special order of business.
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Assembly Rule 2. Party Officers; election, duties. ar2(1)(1)
The majority and minority parties in the assembly shall elect the officers shown in sub. (2), and may select any other officers desired. Party officers shall hold office for the legislative biennium unless separated by death, resignation, or removal from office by a majority of the current membership of the appropriate party caucus. They shall perform the duties assigned to them by their respective caucuses, by legislative rule, and by law.
ar2(2)
(2) Each party caucus shall elect a floor leader, an assistant floor leader, and a caucus chairperson to be known, respectively, as the majority leader, the assistant majority leader, the majority caucus chairperson, the minority leader, the assistant minority leader, and the minority caucus chairperson. In the temporary absence of the majority leader or minority leader, the respective assistant leader shall carry out the duties assigned to that leader until the return of the leader. If the majority leader or minority leader is separated by death, resignation, or removal from office, the respective assistant leader shall carry out the duties assigned to that leader until a leader is elected.
ar2(3)
(3) On the day a new legislature is convened under section 13.02 (1) of the statutes, the chairperson of each party caucus shall notify the chief clerk of the offices established by his or her party caucus and the incumbents therein, and thereafter shall notify the chief clerk of any change in the offices or incumbents. Each notification shall be entered in the journal.
ar2(4)
(4) The division of seats in the chamber among majority and minority party members shall be determined by the speaker in consultation with the 2 caucuses. Disputed seating assignments shall be decided by the floor leader of the appropriate caucus.
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Assembly Rule 3. Duties of the speaker; speaker pro tempore. ar3(1)(1)
The speaker shall:
ar3(1)(i)
(i) Authenticate by personal signature, when required, acts, orders, and proceedings of the assembly.
ar3(1)(j)
(j) Appoint members to all legislative committees or other bodies as required by law, legislative rule, or other directive.
ar3(1)(k)
(k) In general, represent and stand for the assembly, declaring its will and obeying its commands concerning the discharge of the speaker's assigned duties.
ar3(1)(L)
(L) Supervise all other officers of the assembly, each being subordinate to the speaker in the discharge of his or her assigned duties.
ar3(1)(m)
(m) Certify under section 13.08 of the statutes, with the countersignature of the chief clerk, the names of all qualified members of the assembly and the number of miles of travel for which each member is entitled to compensation.
ar3(1)(n)
(n) Authorize expenditures to procure appropriate floral pieces or similar memorials for deceased or ill members of the legislature, state officers, or other persons who have been identified with the legislative process.
ar3(1)(o)
(o) Issue subpoenas, with the countersignature of the chief clerk, for the attendance of witnesses before any assembly committee, and issue summary process for the arrest of any witness disobeying the mandate of the subpoena.
ar3(1)(p)
(p) Administer, when required, the oaths of office to members and officers of the assembly.
ar3(1)(q)
(q) Determine office assignments for members.
ar3(1)(r)
(r) Refer every notice and report concerning a proposed administrative rule received by him or her under section 227.19 of the statutes to the appropriate standing committee of the assembly within 10 working days following receipt, and notify that committee whenever the speaker is informed that a proposed rule or portion thereof is being withdrawn. The speaker shall refer any report received from a standing committee that objects to a proposed rule or portion thereof to the joint committee for review of administrative rules.
ar3(1)(s)
(s) Perform any other duties assigned to the office of speaker by law, legislative rule, directive of the assembly, or custom.
ar3(2)
(2) In the temporary absence of the speaker, the speaker pro tempore may exercise all of the powers and shall carry out all of the duties of the speaker until the return of the speaker. If the speaker is separated by death, resignation, or removal from office, the speaker pro tempore may exercise all of the powers and shall carry out all of the duties of the speaker until a speaker is elected.
ar3m
Assembly Rule 3m.
Presiding officer. ar3m(1)(1)
The presiding officer shall:
ar3m(1)(a)
(a) Open each daily session, at the time set for convening, by taking the chair to preside over the assembly and calling the members to order.
ar3m(1)(b)
(b) Announce the business before the assembly in the order in which it is to be acted upon.
ar3m(1)(c)
(c) Put to a vote all motions and questions that properly arise in the course of proceedings and announce the results.
ar3m(1)(d)
(d) Order a roll call vote when such a vote is required by the constitution, by law, or by legislative rule.
ar3m(1)(e)
(e) Restrain the members within the rules while they are engaged in debate.
ar3m(1)(f)
(f) Maintain order, decorum, and quiet among members and visitors in and about the chamber during sessions and have offending persons removed and the galleries cleared when necessary to do so.
ar3m(1)(g)
(g) Rule on any point of order and inform the members on parliamentary procedure.
ar3m(1)(h)
(h) Receive communications from other branches of government and, when required, direct that they be read to the assembly or entered in the journal.
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Assembly Rule 4. Other presiding officers. ar4(1)(1)
In the temporary absence of both the speaker and the speaker pro tempore, the majority leader or his or her designee shall preside. In the temporary absence of the speaker, the speaker pro tempore, and the majority leader, the assistant majority leader or his or her designee shall preside. In the temporary absence of the speaker, the speaker pro tempore, the majority leader, and the assistant majority leader, the majority caucus chairperson or his or her designee shall preside.
ar4(2)
(2) In the temporary absence of all of these officers and members, one of the members shall be elected to preside temporarily until the return of the speaker, the speaker pro tempore, the majority leader, the assistant majority leader, or the majority caucus chairperson.
ar4(3)
(3) The presiding officer may place any member in the chair, but the substitution does not extend beyond an adjournment.
ar5
Assembly Rule 5. Chief clerk's duties.
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