CHAPTER VII

General Orders and Special Orders

Rule 20. The matters referred to the Committee of the Whole Convention shall constitute the general orders, and their titles shall be recorded in a calendar kept for that purpose by the Secretary, in the order in which they shall be severally referred.

Rule 21. The business of the general orders shall be taken up in the following manner, viz.: The Secretary shall announce the title of each proposed amendment or other matter, as it shall be reached in its order, whereupon it shall be taken up on the call of any member, without the putting of a question therefor, but if not so moved, it shall lose its precedence for the day. And whenever three proposed amendments or other matters have been thus moved the Convention shall go into Committee of the Whole upon them without further order.

Rule 22. Tuesday and Thursday of each week shall be set apart especially for the consideration of the general orders; but they may be considered on any other day when reached in their order.

Rule 23. Each member shall be furnished daily with a printed list of the general orders, which shall be kept on his files by the Sergeant-at-Arms, in the same manner as other printed documents. Rule 24. Any matter may be made a special order for any particular day, by the acceptance of the report of the Committee on Rules, or by a two-thirds vote, or by unanimous consent.

CHAPTER VIII

Committee of the Whole

Rule 25. Any matter may be committed to the Committee of the whole upon the report of a standing or select committee, or by unanimous consent at any time. Any committee may be discharged from the further consideration of any matter referred to it, and such matter may then be referred to the Committee of the Whole, by a vote of the Convention. The same rules shall be observed in the Committee of the Whole as in the Convention, so far as the same are applicable, except that the previous question shall not apply, nor the yeas and nays be taken, nor a limit be made. as to the number of times of speaking.

Rule 26. A motion to "rise and report progress " shall be in order at any stage, and shall be decided without debate. A motion to rise and report is not in order until each section and the title have been considered, unless the limit of time has expired.

Rule 27. Proposed constitutional amendments and other matters shall be considered in Committee of the Whole in the following manner, viz.: They shall be first read through, if the committee so direct; otherwise they shall be read and considered by sections. When the limit of time has expired, the amendments which have been proposed and not previously acted upon shall be voted upon in their order without further debate. The proposed constitutional amendment as amended shall then be voted upon without debate, and the committee shall then rise and report in accordance with the action which it has taken.

If the committee shall have adopted any proposed constitutional amendment, the same shall be reported complete with any amendments made in the committee incorporated in their proper places.

Rule 28. If at any time, when in Committee of the Whole, it be ascertained that there is no quorum, the chairman shall immediately report the fact to the President, who then takes the chair for the purpose of securing a quorum, and when that is obtained the chairman resumes his duties.

Rule 29. Should the committee not have completed the business before it rises, the chairman will report progress and ask leave to sit again.

CHAPTER IX

Proposed Amendments to the Constitution

Rule 30. No proposition for constitutional amendment shall be introduced in the Convention except in one of the following modes, viz.:

1. Under the order of introduction of propositions for constitutional amendment by districts, in numerical order.

2. By report of a committee.

Rule 31. The title of each proposition for constitutional amendment introduced shall state concisely its subject-matter. Matter which it is proposed to strike out shall be in brackets, and new matter shall be underscored and when printed shall be in italics. All proposed amendments shall be presented in duplicate.

Rule 32. All propositions for constitutional amendment, after their second reading, which shall be by title, shall be referred to a standing or select committee, to consider and report thereon, and shall be immediately printed and placed on the files of each member. All proposed constitutional amendments reported shall, if the report be agreed to, be committed to the Committee of the Whole and immediately printed. When a committee has reported that no amendment should be made to the provisions of the existing Constitution relating to any specified subject, and such report is agreed to, all propositions for constitutional amendment relating to that subject which have been referred to that committee shall be considered as rejected. All constitutional amendments proposed by a minority report from any committee shall be printed and placed on the files of the members of the Convention.

Rule 33. Proposed constitutional amendments reported by the Committee of the Whole shall be subject to debate before the question to agree with the committee on their report is put.

Rule 34. No proposed constitutional amendment shall be ordered to a third reading until it shall have been considered in Committee of the Whole.

Rule 35. No proposed constitutional amendment shall be put upon third reading until it shall have been reported by the Committee on Revision and Engrossment as correctly revised and engrossed, unless by unanimous consent. Nor shall any proposed constitutional amendment be read the third time, unless it shall have been once printed.

Rule 36. Every proposed constitutional amendment shall receive three separate readings, previous to its final passage, and the third reading shall be on a day subsequent to that on which the proposed constitutional amendment passed in Committee of the Whole.

Rule 37. The third reading of proposed constitutional amendments shall take place in the order in which they have been ordered to a third reading, unless the Convention, by a vote of twothirds of the members present, direct otherwise, or the proposed constitutional amendment to be read is laid on the table. And the question on the final passage of every proposed constitutional amendment shall be taken immediately after such third reading, and without debate, but the vote on the final passage of every pro

posed amendment, revision or addition to the Constitution shall be taken by ayes and nays, which shall be entered on the Journal.

Rule 38. In all cases where unanimous consent is asked for advancing a proposed constitutional amendment out of its order, it shall be the duty of the President to plainly announce such request in full twice.

Rule 39. On the third reading of a proposed constitutional amendment, after the reading of the title, and before the reading of the text, the proposed constitutional amendment shall be open one hour, if required, for debate on its merits, before the previous question shall be ordered; but no member shall speak more than five minutes or more than once; the vote, however, may be taken at any time when the debate is closed.

Rule 40. On the third reading of the proposed Constitutional amendment, no amendment thereto shall be in order, except to fill blanks, without unanimous consent.

Rule 41. A motion may be made during the third reading of any proposed constitutional amendment to recommit it, and such motion shall not be debatable.

Rule 42. A register shall be kept by the Secretary of all proposed constitutional amendments introduced in the Convention, in which shall be recorded, under appropriate heads, the progress of such proposed constitutional amendments from the date of their introduction to the time of their final disposition.

Rule 43. In all cases where a proposed constitutional amendment, order, motion or resolution shall be entered on the Journal, the name of the member introducing or moving the same shall also be entered on the Journal.

CHAPTER X

Motions and Their Precedence

Rule 44. When a question is under consideration, the following motions only shall be received; which motions shall have precedence in the order stated, viz.:

6. Postpone indefinitely, not amendable, but debatable.

7. Postpone to a certain day.

8. Go into Committee of the Whole.

9. Commit to Committee of the Whole.

10. Commit to a standing committee.

11. Commit to a select committee. 12. Amend.

Preclude debates on main question.

Rule 45. Every motion or resolution shall be stated by the President or read by the Secretary before debate, and again, if requested by any member, immediately before putting the question; and every motion, except those specified in subdivisions 1 to 11, inclusive, of rule 44, shall be reduced to writing if the President or any member request it.

Rule 46. After a motion shall be stated by the President, it shall be deemed in the possession of the Convention, but may be withdrawn at any time before it shall be decided or amended.

Rule 47. The motion to adjourn, to take a recess, and to adjourn for a longer period than one day, shall always be in order; but the latter motion shall not preclude debate.

Rule 48. A motion to reconsider any vote must be made on the same day on which the vote proposed to be reconsidered was taken, or on the legislative day next succeeding, and by a member who voted in the majority, except to reconsider a vote on the final passage of a proposed constitutional amendment, which shall be