Assembly Resolution No. 2–Assemblyman Perkins
Assembly RESOLUTION—Adopting the Rules of the Assembly for the 17th Special Session of the Legislature.
1-1 Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, That the
1-2 following Rules of the Assembly for the 17th Special Session of the
1-3 Legislature are hereby adopted:
1-4 I. APPLICABILITY
1-5 Rule No. 1. Generally
1-6 The Rules of the Assembly for the 17th Special Session of the
1-7 Legislature are applicable only during the 17th Special Session of the
1-8 Legislature.
1-9 II. OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES
1-10 Duties of Officers
1-11 Rule No. 2. Speaker of the Assembly.
1-12 1. All officers of the Assembly are subordinate to the Speaker in all
1-13 that relates to the prompt, efficient and correct discharge of their official
1-14 duties under the Speaker’s supervision.
1-15 2. Possessing the powers and performing the duties described in this
1-16 rule, the Speaker shall:
1-17 (a) Take the chair at the hour to which the Assembly will be meeting,
1-18 call the members to order, and upon the appearance of a quorum,
1-19 proceed to business.
1-20 (b) Preserve order and decorum and have general direction of the
1-21 chamber of the Assembly and the approaches thereto. In the event of
1-22 any disturbance or disorderly conduct therein, order the same to be
1-23 cleared.
1-24 (c) Decide all questions of order, subject to a member’s right to appeal
1-25 to the Assembly. On appeal from such decisions, the Speaker has the
1-26 right, in the Speaker’s place, to assign the reason for the decision.
1-27 (d) Have the right to name any member to perform the duties of the
1-28 chair, but such substitution must not extend beyond one legislative day.
1-29 (e) When the Assembly resolves itself into Committee of the Whole,
1-30 name a chairman to preside thereover and call him to the chair.
1-31 (f) Have the power to accredit the persons who act as representatives
1-32 of the news media and assign them seats.
1-33 (g) Sign all bills and resolutions passed by the Legislature as provided
1-34 by law.
1-35 (h) Sign all subpoenas issued by the Assembly.
1-36 (i) Receive all messages and communications from other departments
1-37 of the government and announce them to the Assembly.
1-38 (j) Represent the Assembly, declare its will and in all things obey its
1-39 commands.
1-40 (k) Vote on final passage of a bill or resolution, but the Speaker shall
1-41 not be required to vote in ordinary legislative proceedings except where
2-1 the Speaker’s vote would be decisive. In all yea and nay votes, the
2-2 Speaker’s name must be called last.
2-3 3. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Speaker, through death,
2-4 resignation or disability of the Speaker, the Speaker pro Tempore shall
2-5 temporarily and for the period of vacancy or disability conduct the
2-6 necessary business of the Assembly.
2-7 4. If a permanent vacancy occurs in the office of Speaker, the
2-8 Assembly shall select a new Speaker.
2-9 III. SESSIONS AND MEETINGS
2-10 Rule No. 3. Open Meetings.
2-11 All meetings of the Assembly and the Committee of the Wholemust be
2-12 open to the public.
2-13 IV. DECORUM AND DEBATE
2-14 Rule No. 4. Points of Order.
2-15 If any member, in speaking or otherwise, transgresses the rules of the
2-16 Assembly, the Speaker shall, or any member may, call to order, in which
2-17 case the member so called to order shall immediately sit down, unless
2-18 permitted to explain; and if called to order by a member, such member
2-19 shall immediately state the point of order. If the point of order be
2-20 sustained by the presiding officer, the member shall not be allowed to
2-21 proceed; but if it be not sustained, then he shall be permitted to go on.
2-22 Every such decision from the presiding officer shall be subject to an
2-23 appeal to the House; but no discussion of the question of order shall be
2-24 allowed unless an appeal be taken from the decision of the presiding
2-25 officer.
2-26 Rule No. 5. Portable electronic communication devices.
2-27 1. A person who is within the Assembly Chambers shall not engage
2-28 in a telephone conversation via the use of a portable telephone.
2-29 2. Before entering the Assembly Chambers, any person who
2-30 possesses a portable electronic communication device, such as a pager
2-31 or telephone, that emits an audible alert, such as a ringing or beeping
2-32 sound, to signal an incoming message or call shall turn the audible alert
2-33 off. A device that contains a nonaudible alert, such as a silent vibration,
2-34 may be operated in a nonaudible manner within the Assembly
2-35 Chambers.
2-36 V. QUORUM, VOTING, ELECTIONS
2-37 Rule No. 6. Manner of Voting.
2-38 1. The presiding officer shall declare all votes, but the yeas and nays
2-39 must be taken when called for by three members present, and the names
2-40 of those calling for the yeas and nays must be entered in the Journal by
2-41 the Chief Clerk.
3-1 2. The presiding officer shall call for yeas and nays by a division or
3-2 by a roll call, either electronic or oral.
3-3 3. When taking the yeas and nays on any question, the electronic roll
3-4 call system may be used, and when so used shall have the force and
3-5 effect of any roll call under these rules.
3-6 4. When taking the yeas and nays by oral roll call, the Chief Clerk
3-7 shall take the names of members alphabetically, except that the
3-8 Speaker’s name must be called last.
3-9 5. The electronic roll call system may be used to determine the
3-10 presence of a quorum.
3-11 6. The yeas and nays must not be taken with the electronic roll call
3-12 system until all members present are at their desks. The presiding officer
3-13 may vote at the rostrum.
3-14 7. Only a memberwho is physically present within the Assembly
3-15 Chambers may cast a vote in the Assembly.
3-16 8. A member shall not vote for another member on any roll call,
3-17 either electronic or oral. Any member who votes for another member
3-18 may be punished in any manner deemed appropriate by the Assembly.
3-19 Rule No. 7. Announcement of the Vote.
3-20 1. A member may change his vote at any time before the
3-21 announcement of the vote if the voting is by voice, or at any time before
3-22 the votes are electronically recorded if the voting is conducted
3-23 electronically.
3-24 2. The announcement of the result of any vote shall not be
3-25 postponed.
3-26 Rule No. 8. Voting by Division.
3-27 Upon a division and count of the Assembly on any question, no person
3-28 without the bar shall be counted.
3-29 VI. LEGISLATIVEBODIES
3-30 Rule No. 9. Committee of the Whole.
3-31 1. All bills and resolutions may be referred to the Committee of the
3-32 Whole.
3-33 2. At any stage in the proceedings of the Committee of the Whole, a
3-34 member of the committee may speak only once on the question under
3-35 consideration, for a period of not more than 10 minutes, unless he is
3-36 granted leave of the chairman to speak more than once. If a member is
3-37 granted leave to speak more than once, the chairman may limit the
3-38 length of time that member may speak.
3-39 3. All amendments proposed by the Committee of the Whole must
3-40 first be approved by a majority of the members of the Senate and a
3-41 majority of the members of the Assembly appointed to the Joint Rules
3-42 Committee for the 17th Special Session of the Legislature.
4-1 VII. RULES GOVERNING MOTIONS
4-2 Rule No. 10. Entertaining.
4-3 No motion may be debated until it is distinctly announced by the
4-4 presiding officer. If desired by the presiding officer or any member, the
4-5 motion must be reduced to writing and be read by the Chief Clerk before
4-6 the motion is debated. A motion may be withdrawn by the maker at any
4-7 time before amendment or before the motion is put to vote.
4-8 Particular Motions
4-9 Rule No. 11. Indefinite Postponement.
4-10 When a question is postponed indefinitely, the same question must not
4-11 be considered again during the special session and the question is not
4-12 subject to a motion for reconsideration.
4-13 Rule No. 12. To Strike Enacting Clause.
4-14 A motion to strike out the enacting clause of a bill or resolution does
4-15 not take precedence over any other subsidiary motion. If the motion is
4-16 carried, it shall be considered equivalent to the rejection of such bill or
4-17 resolution.
4-18 Rule No. 13. Division of Question.
4-19 Any member may call for a division of the question, which shall be
4-20 divided, if it comprehends propositions in substance so distinct that, one
4-21 being taken away, a substantive proposition shall remain for the
4-22 decision of the Assembly. A motion to strike out being lost shall preclude
4-23 neither amendment nor a motion to strike out and insert. A motion to
4-24 strike out and insert shall be deemed indivisible.
4-25 Rule No. 14. To Reconsider.
4-26 No motion to reconsider a vote is in order.
4-27 VIII. DEBATE
4-28 Rule No. 15. Speaking on Question.
4-29 No member shall speak more than twice during the consideration of
4-30 any one question, on the same day, and at the same stage of proceedings,
4-31 without leave. Members who have once spoken shall not again be
4-32 entitled to the floor (except for explanation) to the exclusion of others
4-33 who have not spoken.Green numbers along left margin indicate location on the printed bill (e.g., 5-15 indicates page 5, line 15).
4-34 Rule No. 16. Previous Question.
4-35 The previous question shall be put only when demanded by three
4-36 members. The previous question shall not be moved by the member last
4-37 speaking on the question.
5-1 Rule No. 17. Privilege of Closing Debate.
5-2 The author of a bill, a resolution or a main question shall have the
5-3 privilege of closing the debate, unless the previous question has been
5-4 sustained.
5-5 IX. CONDUCT OF BUSINESS
5-6 A. Rules and Procedure
5-7 Rule No. 18. Mason’s Manual.
5-8 The rules of parliamentary practice contained in Mason’s Manual of
5-9 Legislative Procedure shall govern the Assembly in all cases in which
5-10 they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Rules
5-11 and orders of the Assembly for the 17th Special Session of the
5-12 Legislature, and the Joint Rules of the Senate and Assembly for the 17th
5-13 Special Session of the Legislature.
5-14 Rule No. 19. Rescission, Change or Suspension of Rule.
5-15 No rule or order of the Assembly for the 17th Special Session of the
5-16 Legislature shall be rescinded or changed without a vote of two-thirds of
5-17 the members elected, and one day’s notice being given of the motion
5-18 therefor; but a rule or order may be suspended temporarily by a vote of
5-19 two-thirds of the members present.
5-20 Rule No. 20. Privilege of the Floor and Lobbying.
5-21 No person, except Senators, former Assemblymen and state officers,
5-22 may be admitted at the bar of the Assembly, except by special invitation
5-23 on the part of some member; but a majority may authorize the Speaker
5-24 to have the Assembly cleared of all such persons. No person may do any
5-25 lobbying upon the floor of the Assembly at any time, and it is the duty of
5-26 the Sergeant at Arms to remove any person violating any of the
5-27 provisions of this rule.
5-28 Rule No. 21. Material Placed on Legislators’ Desks.
5-29 All papers, letters, notes, pamphlets and other written material placed
5-30 upon an Assemblyman’s desk shall contain the signature of the
5-31 Legislator requesting the placement of such material on the desk or
5-32 shall contain a designation of the origin of such material. This rule does
5-33 not apply to books containing the legislative bills and resolutions, the
5-34 legislative daily histories, the legislative daily journals or Legislative
5-35 Counsel Bureau material.
5-36 Rule No. 22. Peddling, Begging and Soliciting.
5-37 1. Peddling, begging and soliciting are strictly forbidden in the
5-38 Assembly Chamber, and in the lobby, gallery and halls adjacent thereto.
5-39 2. No part of the Assembly Chamber may be used for, or occupied by
5-40 signs or other devices for any kind of advertising.
5-41 3. No part of the hallways adjacent to the Assembly Chambers may
5-42 be used for or occupied by signs or other devices for any kind of
5-43 advertising for commercial or personal gain. Notices for nonprofit,
6-1 nonpartisan, civic or special legislative events may be posted in a
6-2 designated area of the hallways adjacent to the Assembly Chambers with
6-3 the approval of the Chief Clerk.
6-4 Rule No. 23. Petitions and Memorials.
6-5 Petitions, memorials and other papers addressed to the Assembly, shall
6-6 be presented by the Speaker, or by a member in the Speaker’s place. A
6-7 brief statement of the contents thereof shall be made by the introducer.
6-8 They shall not be debated on the day of their being presented, but shall
6-9 be on the table, or be referred, as the Assembly shall determine.
6-10 Rule No. 24. Request of Purpose.
6-11 A member may request the purpose of a bill or joint resolution upon its
6-12 introduction.
6-13 Rule No. 25. Remarks.
6-14 It shall be in order for members to make remarks and to have such
6-15 remarks entered in the Journal.
6-16 Rule No. 26. Precedence of Parliamentary Authority.
6-17 The precedence of parliamentary authority in the Assembly is:
6-18 1. The Constitution of the State of Nevada.
6-19 2. The Statutes of the State of Nevada.
6-20 3. The Rules of the Assembly for the 17th Special Session of the
6-21 Legislature and the Joint Rules of the Senate and Assembly for the 17th
6-22 Special Session of the Legislature.
6-23 4. Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure.
6-24 Rule No. 27. Privileged Questions.
6-25 Privileged questions have precedence of all others in the following
6-26 order:
6-27 1. Motions to fix the time to which the Assembly shall adjourn.
6-28 2. Motions to adjourn.
6-29 3. Questions relating to the rights and privileges of the Assembly or
6-30 any of its members.
6-31 4. A call of the House.
6-32 5. Motions for special orders.
6-33 B. Bills
6-34 Rule No. 28. Substitute Bills.
6-35 A substitute bill shall be deemed and held to be an amendment, and
6-36 treated in all respects as such. However, a substitute bill may be
6-37 amended after its adoption, in the same manner as if it were an original
6-38 bill.
6-39 Rule No. 29. Skeleton Bills.
6-40 The introduction of skeleton bills is not authorized.
7-1 Rule No. 30. Reading of Bills.
7-2 The presiding officer shall announce at each reading of a bill whether
7-3 it be the first, second or third reading. The first reading of a bill shall be
7-4 for information. If there is objection, the question shall be, “Shall the
7-5 bill be rejected?” If the question to reject fails to receive a majority vote
7-6 by the members present, or if there is no objection, the bill shall take the
7-7 proper course. No bill shall be referred to the Committee of the Whole
7-8 until after the first reading, nor amended until after the second reading.
7-9 Rule No. 31. Second Reading and Amendment of Bills.
7-10 1. All bills must be read the second time after which they are
7-11 reported by the Committee of the Whole. Upon second reading,
7-12 Assembly bills reported without amendments shall be placed on the
7-13 General File and Senate bills reported without amendments shall be
7-14 placed on the General File.Amendments proposed by the Committee of
7-15 the Whole and reported with bills shall be considered upon their second
7-16 reading, and such amendments may be adopted by a majority vote of the
7-17 members present. Any amendment which is numbered, copied and made
7-18 available to all members must be moved and voted upon by number
7-19 unless any member moves that it be read in full. Assembly bills so
7-20 amended must be reprinted, engrossed, and placed on the General File.
7-21 Senate bills so amended must be reprinted, then engrossed or
7-22 reengrossed, as applicable, and placed on the General File.
7-23 2. Any member may move to amend a bill during its second or third
7-24 reading if the amendment is first approved by a majority of the members
7-25 of the Senate and a majority of the members of the Assembly appointed
7-26 to the Joint Rules Committee for the 17th Special Session of the
7-27 Legislature, and such a motion to amend may be adopted by a majority
7-28 vote of the members present. Bills so amended on second reading must
7-29 be treated the same as bills with amendments proposed by the Committee
7-30 of the Whole. Any bill so amended upon the General File must be
7-31 reprinted and then engrossed or reengrossed, as applicable.
7-32 3. The reprinting of amended bills may be dispensed with only in
7-33 accordance with the provisions of law.
7-34 Rule No. 32. Consent Calendar.
7-35 1. The Committee of the Wholemay by unanimous vote of the
7-36 members present report a bill with the recommendation that it be placed
7-37 on the consent calendar. The question of recommending a bill for the
7-38 consent calendar may be voted upon in committee only after the bill has
7-39 been recommended for passage and only if no amendment is
7-40 recommended.
7-41 2. The Chief Clerk shall maintain a list of bills recommended for the
7-42 consent calendar. The list must be printed in the daily history and must
7-43 include the summary of each bill, and the date the bill is scheduled for
7-44 consideration on final passage.
7-45 3. At any time before the presiding officer calls for a vote on the
7-46 passage of the consent calendar, a member may give written notice to
7-47 the Chief Clerk or state orally from the floor of the Assembly in session
7-48 that he requests the removal of a particular bill from the consent
7-49 calendar. If
8-1 a member so requests, the Chief Clerk shall remove the bill from the
8-2 consent calendar and transfer it to the second reading file. A bill
8-3 removed from the consent calendar may not be restored to that calendar.
8-4 4. During floor consideration of the consent calendar, members may
8-5 ask questions and offer explanations relating to the respective bills.
8-6 5. When the consent calendar is brought to a vote, the bills
8-7 remaining on the consent calendar must be read by number and
8-8 summary and the vote must be taken on their final passage as a group.
8-9 Rule No. 33. General File.
8-10 All bills reported to the Assembly, after receiving their second readings
8-11 must be placed upon a General File, to be kept by the Chief Clerk. Bills
8-12 mustbe taken from the General File and acted upon in the order in
8-13 which they were reported, unless otherwise specially ordered by the
8-14 Assembly. But engrossed bills shall be placed at the head of the file, in
8-15 the order in which they are received. The Chief Clerk shall post a daily
8-16 statement of the bills on the General File, setting forth the order in
8-17 which they are filed, and specifying the alterations arising from the
8-18 disposal of business each day. The Chief Clerk shall likewise post
8-19 notices of special orders as made.
8-20 C. Resolutions
8-21 Rule No. 34. Treated as Bills—Joint Resolutions.
8-22 The procedure of enacting joint resolutions must be identical to that of
8-23 enacting bills. However, joint resolutions proposing amendments to the
8-24 Constitution must be entered in the Journal in their entirety.
8-25 D. Order of Business
8-26 Rule No. 35. Order of Business.
8-27 The Order of Business must be as follows:
8-28 1. Call to Order.
8-29 2. Reading and Approval of Journal.
8-30 3. Presentation of Petitions.
8-31 4. Reports of the Committee of the Whole.
8-32 5. [Reserved.]
8-33 6. Communications.
8-34 7. Messages from the Senate.
8-35 8. Motions, Resolutions and Notices.
8-36 9. Introduction, First Reading and Reference.
8-37 10. Consent Calendar.
8-38 11. Second Reading and Amendment.
8-39 12. General File and Third Reading.
8-40 13. Unfinished Business of Preceding Day.
8-41 14. Special Orders of the Day.
8-42 15. Remarks from the Floor, limited to 10 minutes.
9-1 X. MISCELLANEOUS
9-2 Rule No. 36. Use of the Assembly Chamber.
9-3 The Assembly Chamber shall not be used for any public or private
9-4 business other than legislative, except by permission of the Assembly.
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