CHAPTER 11. MOTIONS

A. When a motion is made it shall be stated by the presiding officer or, at the discretion of the presiding officer, by the Secretary. If the motion is in writing, it shall be read aloud by the Secretary before it is debated.

B. No motion need be seconded.

Rule 11.2.  Possession of the Senate

A motion shall be deemed to be in the possession of the Senate after it has been stated by the presiding officer or, at his discretion, by the Secretary, or has been read by the Secretary. However, the member who made the motion may withdraw it at any time, unless it is a motion to reconsider, which motion shall not be withdrawn unless the approval of the Senate for such withdrawal first is obtained.

When a question is divisible, any member may call for a division of the question.

No more than one substitute motion to any class of motion shall be in order at any one time.

Rule 11.5.  Precedence of motions

A. At any time a question is under debate, the motions listed below shall take precedence in the order listed:

(1) To adjourn, fixing day and time

(2) To limit debate

(3) To take a recess

(4) To return to the calendar, subject to call

(5) To proceed to consideration of executive business

(6) To lay on the table

(7) To move the previous question

(8) To move the previous question on the entire subject matter

(9) To postpone indefinitely

(10) To postpone to a day and time certain

(11) To commit or recommit

(12) To amend

B. At any time any one of the above motions is under consideration, any motion having a higher precedence shall be in order and motions having a lower precedence shall not be in order.

A motion to adjourn, fixing the day and time for reconvening, shall always be in order, except when the main question has been ordered. The motion to adjourn shall be decided without debate. In putting the question on the motion to adjourn, when motions containing different times for reconvening have been made, the presiding officer shall put the question on the motion proposing the shortest time of adjournment first, regardless of the order in which the motions were made.

A motion to limit debate while a speaker has the floor, thereby limiting the amount of time a speaker, including the speaker who has the floor at the adoption of the motion, may exercise on the question under debate, shall only be in order as provided for herein, except when the main question has been ordered. At any time a motion is signed by twenty-six members to limit debate while a speaker has the floor and is presented to the presiding officer of the senate, such officer shall instruct the secretary of the senate to note the time of receipt of such motion. The presiding officer shall announce to the senate the receipt of the signed motion upon a point of information raised by a member. A motion to limit debate while a speaker has the floor shall be in order one hour after the announcement of the receipt of the signed motion. The motion to limit debate while a speaker has the floor, shall be decided without debate. In putting the question on the motion to limit debate while a speaker has the floor, or for a motion to remove the limitation, twenty-six Senators shall have to vote in the affirmative for either motion to be adopted. Thereafter, no senator shall be entitled to speak in all more than one hour on the measure.

If a motion to adjourn or to recess is made and adopted while a legislative instrument or an amendment thereto is under debate, the pending amendment, if any, shall be deemed to have been withdrawn, and the legislative instrument shall remain in the same order of business it was in at the time of the motion and shall be considered first when the Senate next returns to that order of business.

The motion to proceed to the consideration of executive business shall not be entertained more than once during debate on any one bill or resolution, except by unanimous consent of the senators present and voting. The motion is not debatable.

A. The motion to lay on the table shall be decided without debate.

B. When a bill or resolution is pending, an amendment to such bill or resolution may be laid on the table without prejudice to the bill or resolution then pending.

Rule 11.10. Motion to call from the table prohibited

A motion once laid on the table shall not again be called from the table.

Rule 11.11. Previous question; previous question of the entire subject matter

A. The form of the motion for the previous question shall be: "I move the previous question." This motion shall be applicable to any outstanding subsidiary motions or amendments, if any. This motion shall be applicable to the main motion pending before the Senate when there are no subsidiary motions or amendments. The motion is undebatable, if any. When adopted, its effect is to put an end to debate and to bring the Senate to a vote on the outstanding subsidiary motion or amendments or the main question, as the case may be.

B. The form of the motion for the previous question on the entire subject matter shall be: "I move the previous question on the entire subject matter." This motion shall be applicable to the main motion pending before the Senate when there are subsidiary motions or amendments. The motion shall be undebatable. When adopted, its effect shall be to put an end to all debate on any amendment or on the main question and to bring the Senate immediately to a vote upon a subsidiary motion, amendment or amendments, if any, and then upon the main question.

C. Immediately following the offering of the motion for the previous question on the entire subject matter, or the motion for the previous question, and before the motion is adopted or rejected, the Secretary shall inform the Senate as to whether or not he has amendments on his desk which members have handed to him for the purpose of proposing said amendments to the instrument under debate and shall also name the authors of any such amendments.

D. The motion for the previous question and the motion for the previous question on the entire subject matter shall require the approval of a majority of the members present and voting for adoption.

E. Adoption of either motion shall have the effect of ending debate; however, the proponent of each motion or amendment upon which debate has been closed, or a member or members designated by him, shall have the right to close the debate.

F. All incidental questions of order which arise after the motion for the previous question on the entire subject matter or the motion for the previous question has been made and which are to be decided prior to the main question shall be decided without debate, whether or not they are appealed.

G. If the motion to postpone is pending at the time the motion for the previous question on the entire subject matter or the motion for the previous question is adopted, the effect of the adoption of the motion for the previous question on the entire subject matter or the motion for the previous question shall be only to bring the Senate to a direct vote on the motion to postpone.

A. When a motion has been made and carried in the affirmative or negative, it shall be in order for any senator who voted on the side that prevailed to move for the reconsideration thereof and, if the motion was on the question of the passage or adoption of or the concurrence in any legislative instrument, or the adoption of a conference committee report on a legislative instrument, any senator who voted thereon may offer a motion for reconsideration. However, if the motion was on the question of the passage or adoption of or the concurrence in any legislative instrument, or the adoption of a conference committee report on a legislative instrument, and the motion was adopted, the member who offered the motion so adopted shall be recognized first to offer a motion to reconsider such motion and to lay the motion to reconsider on the table. No motion to reconsider a vote which has been reconsidered previously shall be in order at any time.

B. To be in order, the motion to reconsider shall be made and, subject to the provisions of Paragraph C, shall be disposed of on the same day the original motion was adopted or rejected and when the motion otherwise is in order. A subsidiary motion may not be reconsidered after the disposition of the main motion, unless the latter has been reconsidered, nor shall the motion to reconsider the vote on the passage or adoption of or the concurrence in any instrument be in order after the instrument has gone out of the possession of the Senate.

C. The motion to reconsider the vote on the question of the passage or adoption of or concurrence in a legislative instrument, if such instrument is not passed, adopted, or concurred in, may not be laid on the table at the time the motion is made and shall lie over until the appropriate order of business for reconsideration after the Morning Hour of the legislative day following the day on which the motion to reconsider is made, if the proponent of the motion gives notice that he will, on the next legislative day, insist on the motion to reconsider. The motion then shall be called for consideration after the Morning Hour on the next legislative day. At such time, a motion to table the motion to reconsider shall not be in order.

D. The motion to reconsider the vote on the question of the adoption of a conference committee report on a legislative instrument, if such report is not adopted, may not be laid on the table at the time the motion is made and shall lie over until the appropriate order of business for reconsideration after the Morning Hour of the legislative day following the day on which the motion to reconsider is made, if the proponent of the motion gives notice that he will, on the next legislative day, insist on the motion to reconsider. The motion then shall be called for consideration after the Morning Hour on the next legislative day. At such time, a motion to table the motion to reconsider shall not be in order.

The following table of rules relating to motions shall govern:

Motion	Debatable	Opens Main Question To Debate	Can be Amended by a Substitute Motion (1)	Can be Reconsidered (14)	Vote Required (2)	In Order When Another Has Floor
Adjourn, fixing day and time	No	No	Yes	No	M	No
Amend	Yes	No	No	Yes	M	No
Appeal a call to order or reprimand	No (3)	No	No	Yes (4)	ME	Yes
Appeal, all other cases	Yes (3,5)	No	No	Yes (4)	ME	Yes
Call from the calendar	No	No	No	No	M	No
Call to order	No	No	No	Yes	M (6)	Yes
Call up a bill or resolution withoutregard to its numerical order	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	ME	No
Commit or recommit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (8)	M	No
Extend limits of debate	No	No	Yes	Yes	M	No
Lay on table	No	No	No	No (7)	M	No
Leave to continue speaking after indecorum	No	No	No	Yes	M	No
Limit debate	No	No	Yes	Yes	M	No
Postpone indefinitely	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	M	No
Postpone to a certain day and time	No	No	Yes	Yes	M	No
Previous question	No	No	No	Yes	M	No
Previous question on entire subject matter (10)	No	No	No	Yes	M	No
Priority of business relating to	No	No	No	Yes	M	No
Privilege, question of	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	M	No
Proceed to executive business	No	No	Yes	Yes	M	No(14)
Reading papers	No	No	No	Yes	M	No
Reconsider a debatable question	Yes	Yes	No	No	M	(11)
Reconsider an undebatable question	No	No	No	No	M	(11)
Refer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (8)	M	No
Return to the calendar, subject to call	No	No	No	No	M	No
Special order, to make a	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	M	No
Suspend the rules	No	No	No	No	ME	No
Take a recess	No	No	Yes	No	M	No
Take up order of the day	No	No	No	Yes	(9)	Yes
Withdrawal of a motion	No	No	No	Yes	(12)	No

EXPLANATION OF TABLE

"Yes" shows that the rule heading the column in which it stands applies to the motion opposite to which it is placed. "No" shows that the rule does not apply. A figure shows that the rule only partially applies -- the figure referring to the note showing the limitation. Take, for example, "Lay on the Table." The table shows that it is undebatable, does not open main question, cannot be amended, an affirmative vote as shown by note No. 8 cannot be reconsidered, requires a majority vote, and is not in order when another has the floor.

NOTES TO TABLE RELATING TO MOTIONS

1. Since motions are never amended in the Senate, this heading is somewhat misleading. What is meant is that the motion can be altered in some respect by a substitute motion -- for example, the motion to lay on the table cannot be altered by a substitute motion, but the motion to fix the time and day to which to adjourn can be altered by a substitute motion by naming another day and/or time.

2. Vote required: M -- Majority of those present and voting; ME -- Majority of those elected.

3. An appeal is undebatable only when relating (a) to indecorum or (b) to transgressions of the rules of speaking or (c) to the priority of business or (d) when made while the previous question is pending. When debatable, only two speeches from each member are allowed.

4. The vote on a motion to appeal may be reconsidered, but when the subject matter upon which the appeal was taken has been disposed of, and it is impossible for the Senate to reverse its action, it is too late to move to reconsider the vote on the motion to appeal.

5. No member shall speak more than twice unless by leave of the Senate. (See Senate Rule 6.7; See also Note 3, supra.)

6. If any member, in speaking or otherwise, transgresses the rules of the Senate, the presiding officer shall, or any member may, call him to order. (Senate Rule 6.3)

7. An affirmative vote on this motion cannot be reconsidered.

8. Cannot be reconsidered when in committee. Senate Rule 13.11 sets forth procedures to effect a mandatory report by committee or discharge and recommittal.

9. A matter of right; it would require a vote equivalent to a suspension of the rules to proceed otherwise.

10. The previous question on the entire subject matter, if adopted, cuts off debate and brings the Senate to a vote on the pending questions in their order until the main question is reached, which shall be at once disposed of. But its only effect, if a motion "to postpone" is pending, is to bring the Senate to a vote upon that motion.

11. Can be moved and entered on the record when another has the floor, but cannot interrupt business then before the Senate; must be made as provided in Senate Rule 11.12.

12. A matter of right, except in the case of the motion to reconsider. (See Senate Rule 11.2)

13. A rejected motion, although it is of a class that cannot be reconsidered, nonetheless can be renewed after progress in debate or the transaction of any business, if the renewal is not dilatory.

14. Not in order more than once during debate on any one bill or resolution except with unanimous consent of those present and voting.

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