Senate
Committee
on
Judiciary
B
Rules of
Procedure
(In
addition
to the
Senate
Rules of
Order,
revised
statutes,
and
constitutional
provisions)
I.
Meetings:
Location,
Time,
and Day
In
accordance
with
Senate
Rule
13.69,
during
session,
the
Senate
Committee
on
Judiciary
B will
meet in
Senate
Committee
Room E,
on
Tuesdays.
When
extraordinary
circumstances
require,
the
place,
date, or
time of
the
meeting
may be
changed
by the
chairman
with the
approval
of the
President.
Upon
such
change
in
meeting
day, all
time
periods
referred
to in
these
rules
shall be
extended
by 24
additional
hours.
II.
Quorum
During
session,
if no
quorum
is
obtained
within
30
minutes
of the
posted
meeting
time,
the
committee
may
adjourn
and the
chairman
may set
a time
on the
same
legislative
day to
convene.
During
the
interim,
if no
quorum
is
obtained
within
30
minutes
immediately
following
the
posted
time of
the
meeting,
the
committee
may
adjourn.
III.
Committee
Decorum
A.
All
members
and
witnesses
shall
conduct
themselves
in a
decorous
manner.
B.
Upon
commencement
of the
meeting,
no
person
other
than
legislators
or staff
may come
on to
the
platform
where
the
committee
members
are
seated.
C.
Cell
phones
or other
electronic
devices
with
audible
tones
must be
turned
off or
muted
during a
committee
meeting.
Cell
phone
use is
not
allowed
during
committee
meetings.
Members
and
meeting
attendees
should
step out
of the
committee
room to
place or
receive
a call.
IV.
Authorization
to
Present
Instrument
A.
Before
being
permitted
to
present
a
legislative
instrument
any
person,
other
than a
coauthor
of a
legislative
instrument
presenting
such
instrument
on
behalf
of the
author,
shall
first
obtain
and
deliver
to the
committee
secretary
written
authorization
containing
the
date,
legislative
instrument
number,
presenter's
name,
and the
author's
signature.
V.
Witness,
Testimony,
and
Documentation
A. No
person
shall be
allowed
to
address
the
committee
without
first
signing
and
delivering
to the
committee
secretary
a
witness
card
stating
his
name,
agency,
organization
or other
interest
represented,
address,
and the
legislative
instrument
number
for
which he
is
appearing.
B.
All
testimony
shall be
delivered
from the
witness
table
after
the
witness
has been
recognized
by the
chairman.
Prepared
statements,
in
accordance
with
Senate
Rule
13.79,
may be
submitted
and
filed in
the
committee
records.
Any such
statement
containing
statistical
information
shall
cite the
source
thereof.
C.
All
handouts
for
presentation
to the
committee
shall be
of
sufficient
number
for
distribution
to each
committee
member,
three
staff
members,
and the
committee
secretary.
Handouts
shall be
submitted
to the
chairman
and
committee
staff
for
approval
at least
24 hours
before
the
meeting.
D. No
power
point or
other
electronic
presentations
shall be
presented
to or
before
the
committee
unless
the
content
has been
submitted
to the
chairman
and
committee
staff
for
approval
at least
24 hours
before
the
meeting.
VI.
Amendments
All
nontechnical
amendments
shall be
requested
or
prepared
and
delivered
to
committee
staff by
noon on
the
working
day
prior
to
the
meeting.
The
chairman
may
refuse
any
amendments
which
were not
timely
submitted
and
proceed
with the
hearing
on the
instrument
or
request
that the
author
voluntarily
defer
the
instrument
to a
later
date.
Staff is
authorized
to make
purely
technical
corrections
to
amendments
adopted
by the
committee.
VII.
Hearing
Procedure
Unless
otherwise
determined
by the
chairman,
instruments
on the
agenda
will be
heard
under
the
following
procedure:
1.
Noncontroversial
bills
shall be
heard
prior to
those
that are
deemed
controversial
by the
chairman.
2.
The
author
or his
designee
will be
heard on
the
instrument.
At the
author's
request,
discussion
of the
bill may
include
amendments
proposed
by the
author.
Thereafter,
committee
members
may
question
the
author
on the
legislation.
3.
Proponents
of the
legislation
will be
heard as
nearly
as
practicable
in the
order in
which
they
submitted
witness
cards,
followed
by
questions
from
committee
members.
4.
Opponents
of the
legislation
will be
heard as
nearly
as
practicable
in the
order in
which
they
submitted
witness
cards,
followed
by
questions
from
committee
members.
5.
Amendments
submitted
by the
author
will be
considered
before
other
amendments.
Otherwise,
amendments
will be
considered,
as
nearly
as
practicable,
in the
order
submitted.
6.
Discussion
and
comments
by
committee
members
only.
7.
Closing
or
rebuttal
by the
author;
questions
by the
committee
members
at the
discretion
of the
chairman.
8.
Motions
relative
to
reporting
the
instrument.
9.
Motions
relative
to
calendar
placement
or to
recommend
special
order.
VIII.
Motions
It is
within
the
discretion
of the
chairman
to
entertain
motions
while
testimony
is
pending.
IX.
Voting
A.
During a
roll
call
vote,
each
member
must
cast his
vote
when his
name is
called
and the
committee
secretary
must
repeat
the
member's
vote as
either
"yea" or
"nay."
B. No
member
may
withhold
his vote
or pass
unless,
in his
discretion,
he was
not
present
for part
of the
testimony
or
committee
discussion
sufficient
to make
an
informed
decision,
or he
has
declared
a
conflict
of
interest
and
recused
himself
from the
proceeding
regarding
the
matter
in
controversy.
X.
Time
Limitations
At
the
discretion
of the
chairman,
the
committee
may
adopt
time
limitations
on
members
or
witnesses,
or both.
XI.
Committee
Rules
The
Rules of
Order of
the
Senate
govern
all
questions
of
committee
procedure.
In the
absence
of an
applicable
Senate
Rule,
these
Committee
Rules
shall
govern.
All
other
questions
shall be
decided
by the
chairman
who may
consult
Mason's
Manual
of
Legislative
Procedure.