Chapter 11:
CHANGE, SUSPENSION, AUTHORITY OF RULES
ar89
Assembly Rule 89. Changing assembly rules. Assembly rules may be rescinded or changed only with the approval of a majority of the current membership by roll call vote.
ar89(1)
(1) Any proposed change of assembly rules shall be offered as a resolution.
ar89(2)
(2) Any resolution affecting assembly rules shall be referred by the speaker or presiding officer to the calendar for the 2nd legislative day after it is offered, or to a committee. A resolution providing for the adoption of assembly rules at the commencement of a legislative biennium may be taken up immediately after it is offered if the resolution has been provided to the assembly members-elect of the new legislature at least one week before the convening of the session.
ar90
Assembly Rule 90. Suspension of the rules. ar90(1)(1)
Any assembly or joint rule may be suspended by the unanimous consent of the members present or by a two-thirds roll call vote of the members present.
ar90(2)
(2) When a unanimous consent request is made or a suspension of the rules is moved, the purpose sought to be accomplished thereby shall be stated.
ar90(3)
(3) When a unanimous consent request is granted or a motion to suspend the rules prevails, only those rules are suspended that otherwise would prevent the accomplishment of the stated purpose.
ar90(4)
(4) A unanimous consent request or a motion to suspend the rules may be made at any time under any order of business by a member who obtains the floor, but not while the assembly is voting.
ar90(5)
(5) Unanimous consent requests and motions to suspend the rules are not permitted for frivolous, indecorous, or clearly dilatory purposes.
ar91
Assembly Rule 91. Authority and interpretation of the rules. The power to make rules governing its procedure is a constitutional power of each house of the legislature. The rules of the assembly, together with the joint rules, govern the assembly's parliamentary practice.
ar91(1)
(1) In the absence of a pertinent assembly or joint rule, questions of parliamentary procedure are decided according to applicable rules of parliamentary practice in Jefferson's manual which are not inconsistent with constitutional or statutory provisions relating to the functioning of the legislature.
ar91(2)
(2) Established precedents of both houses, long-established custom, opinions of the attorney general interpreting rules and precedents, and other leading parliamentary authorities such as Mason's manual may be used in the interpretation of both the assembly rules and the rules in Jefferson's manual.
ar92
Assembly Rule 92. Continuity of assembly rules. The rules of the assembly remain in effect until amended or rescinded by the assembly. At the beginning of a new biennial session, the rules of the assembly in effect at the conclusion of the preceding regular session remain in force until superseded by assembly rules adopted in the new session of the legislature.
ar93
Assembly Rule 93. Special, extended, or extraordinary sessions. Unless otherwise provided by the assembly for a specific special, extended, or extraordinary session, the rules of the assembly adopted for the regular session, subject to the following modifications, apply to each special session called by the governor and to each extended or extraordinary session called by the assembly and senate committees on organization or called by a joint resolution adopted by one house and concurred in by the other house:
ar93(1)
(1) A proposal or amendment may not be considered by the assembly unless it is germane to the session call or pertains to the organization of the legislature.
ar93(2)
(2) Proposals may be offered or introduced only by the assembly committees on finance, organization, or rules, or by the joint committees on employment relations, finance, or organization.
ar93(3)
(3) A notice of hearings before committees is not required other than posting on the legislative bulletin boards, and a schedule of committee activities need not be published.
ar93(4)
(4) All proposals shall be referred to the day's calendar and may be taken up immediately. A calendar need not be provided.
ar93(5)
(5) A motion to postpone a proposal to a day or time certain may not be allowed.
ar93(6)
(6) All motions to reconsider shall be taken up immediately unless a different time is set by vote of a majority of the members present and voting for a specific motion to reconsider.
ar93(7)
(7) All motions to advance a proposal to its 3rd reading and all motions to message a proposal to the other house may be adopted by a majority of the members present and voting.
ar94
Assembly Rule 94. Content, format, and style of rules and manual. ar94(1)(1)
The assembly manual shall be composed of pamphlets containing the assembly rules, the joint rules, the session schedule, the state constitution, alphabetical indexes, and other information approved by the speaker or the committee on assembly organization. Whenever directed to do so by the speaker or the committee on assembly organization, the chief clerk shall recompile and republish any pamphlet part. In recompiling the assembly manual or any pamphlet thereof, the chief clerk shall make spelling and other minor corrections and shall consult with the legislative reference bureau to make any references to provisions of the constitution, statutes, joint rules, or assembly rules conform to the numbers assigned to the provisions.
ar94(2)
(2) Spelling and capitalization in the assembly rules shall follow the style of the Wisconsin statutes.
ar94(3)(a)(a)
Within one week after the adoption of any resolution significantly changing the assembly rules, the chief clerk shall direct the reproduction of a new pamphlet incorporating the entire text of the assembly rules as affected by the resolution unless, in the judgment of the speaker, additional rule changes may soon be agreed to by the members. Each pamphlet edition shall contain a revised table of contents and index prepared by the legislative reference bureau.
ar94(3)(b)
(b) The chief clerk shall supervise the production of the book of the assembly rules for insertion into the assembly manual.
ar94(3)(c)
(c) As directed by the chief clerk, any resolution amending the assembly rules may be engrossed and may be duplicated for distribution.
Chapter 12:
MISCELLANEOUS
ar95
Assembly Rule 95. Definitions. The following are definitions of the major terms used in the assembly rules or traditionally used in deliberations on the floor.
ar95(1)
(1) Act: A bill that has passed both houses of the legislature, been enrolled, and been approved by the governor or passed over the governor's veto, or that becomes law without the signature of the governor, and published.
ar95(2)
(2) Adjourn: To conclude a legislative day's business [see also sub. (79)]. ar95(3)
(3) Adoption: Approval of a motion, amendment, substitute amendment, simple resolution, or joint resolution.
ar95(4)
(4) Amendment: A suggested alteration in any proposal, often referred to as a simple amendment in distinction to a substitute amendment intended to take the place of the proposal.
ar95(5)
(5) Appeal: A member's challenge of a ruling on a point of order. To prevail, an appeal requires the support of a majority of the members present.
ar95(6)
(6) Assembly chamber: The entire area west of the easternmost doors of the assembly, including the visitor's galleries, lobbies, offices of the speaker, majority leader, and minority leader, and hallways.
ar95(7)
(7) Bill: A proposed change of law originating in either house, requiring passage by one house and concurrence of the other house of the legislature and approval of the governor, or passage notwithstanding the objections of the governor by a two-thirds vote in each house, or that becomes law without the signature of the governor, before becoming effective.
ar95(8)
(8) Calendar: The assembly agenda for any legislative day.
ar95(9)
(9) Call of the assembly or "call of the house.": A procedure for requiring the attendance of absent members.
ar95(10)
(10) Certificate or "citation.": A formal legislative document of commendation, congratulations, or condolences.
ar95(11)
(11) Chair: The position that the presiding officer fills.
ar95(12)
(12) Chief clerk: The assembly officer elected to perform and direct the clerical and personnel functions of the assembly.
ar95(13)
(13) Committee chairperson: The head of a committee.
ar95(14)
(14) Committee executive action: The action of a committee on any proposal.
ar95(15)
(15) Committee of the whole: The assembly membership organized in committee for the discussion of a specific matter.
ar95(16)
(16) Concurrence: The action by which one house agrees to a proposal or action of the other house.
ar95(17)
(17) Conference committee: A committee of representatives to the assembly and of senators, appointed to resolve differences on a specific proposal.
ar95(18)
(18) Contested seat: An assembly district in which 2 or more persons claim the right to represent the district.
ar95(20)
(20) Current membership: The members of the assembly, omitting those who have resigned, have been removed, or have died.
ar95(22)
(22) Dilatory: To delay.
ar95(23)
(23) Division of the question: To break a question into 2 or more separate propositions.
ar95(24)
(24) Elected membership: The members of the assembly, certified as elected in the last general election, including those who have subsequently resigned, have been removed, or have died.
ar95(25)
(25) Engrossed proposal: A proposal incorporating all adopted amendments and all approved technical corrections in the house of origin, whether or not it is reproduced as engrossed.
ar95(26)
(26) Enrolled proposal: A proposal that was passed, or adopted, and concurred in, incorporating any amendments and corrections that were approved by both houses.
ar95(27)
(27) Expunge: To remove material from the record and, thus, undo some assembly action.
ar95(27m)
(27m) Extraordinary session: The convening of the legislature by the assembly and senate committees on organization or by petition or joint resolution of the legislature to accomplish the business specified in the action calling the session. When used to continue a floorperiod of the regular session for a limited purpose, the extraordinary session is referred to as an extended session.
ar95(28)
(28) Fiscal estimate: A memorandum pursuant to joint rules 41 to 49, explaining the impact of a bill on state or local finances. ar95(29)
(29) Floor of the assembly: That portion of the assembly chamber that is reserved for members, assembly officers, and persons granted the privilege of the floor.
ar95(30)
(30) Floor amendment: Any amendment offered for assembly consideration at the 2nd reading stage, or for committee consideration, but not drafted by the legislative reference bureau.
ar95(31)
(31) Germaneness: The relevance or appropriateness of amendments.
ar95(32)
(32) Hearing: A committee meeting at which the public is invited to testify on a proposal or issue.
ar95(33)
(33) History: A record of actions on any given proposal.
ar95(33m)
(33m) History file: The list of entries made by the chief clerk in the bulletin of proceedings, recording the actions of the legislature on a proposal.
ar95(34)
(34) Incidental motions and requests: A group of motions and requests that generally relates to the proceedings, procedures, and subsidiary questions during debate, and that must be disposed of before proceeding to the main question under consideration. Incidental questions have lower precedence than privileged questions, but higher precedence than subsidiary and main motions.
ar95(35)
(35) Indefinite postponement: A motion to kill a proposal in its house of origin for a legislative session.
ar95(36)
(36) Introduction: The formal presentation of a bill before the assembly.
ar95(37)
(37) Joint convention, also called joint session: A joint meeting of the senate and the assembly.
ar95(38)
(38) Joint hearing: A hearing held by a joint committee or by committees of both houses.
ar95(39)
(39) Joint resolution: A proposal requiring adoption by both houses, to: a) express the opinion of the legislature; b) change the joint rules; c) propose an amendment to the state constitution; or d) propose or ratify an amendment to the U.S. constitution.
ar95(40)
(40) Joint rules: The common rules of procedure adopted by both houses.
ar95(41)
(41) Journal: The official publication of the assembly.
ar95(42)
(42) Leave: Permission to be absent from the assembly.
ar95(43)
(43) Legislative day: Any day on which the legislature is in session.
ar95(44)
(44) Main motions and questions: The final affirmative question concerning a proposal during any stage of its consideration or any motion made or question raised when no other matter is before the assembly. Main questions have lower precedence than privileged, incidental, and subsidiary questions.
ar95(45)
(45) Majority: One more than one-half.
ar95(46)
(46) Manual: The publication containing the rules of the assembly, the joint rules, the session schedule, the state constitution, alphabetical indexes, and other materials considered relevant to a representative's job.
ar95(47)
(47) Member: A duly elected representative to the assembly.
ar95(48)
(48) Members present: Those members in attendance at a daily session.
ar95(49)
(49) Motion: A proposed action requiring assembly approval by a vote.
ar95(50)
(50) Nonconcurrence: The refusal of one house to agree to a proposal or action of the other.
ar95(50m)
(50m) Offer: The formal presentation of a joint resolution, resolution, substitute amendment, amendment, or motion before the assembly.
ar95(51)
(51) Opinion of the attorney general: A formal reply by the attorney general to a specific question.
ar95(52)
(52) Pair: A written agreement between 2 members on opposite sides of a question not to vote on the question if one or both are absent with leave, which permits the absent member to influence the outcome of a vote.
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