22. Committee Rules

(a) (1) The committees of reference of the Senate shall meet at the times and places specified in the Schedule of Committee Meetings adopted by the Senate at the beginning of each regular session of the General Assembly; the committees shall be scheduled to meet according to the categories in subsection (l) (1) of this rule. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (a) (2) of this rule, a committee of reference that is directed to meet upon adjournment in the Schedule of Committee Meetings shall convene fifteen minutes following adjournment or recess, as applicable, of the Senate.

(2) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection (a) (2), a committee of reference may hold a committee meeting at a time and place, but not on a day of the week, other than is provided in the Schedule of Committee Meetings, provided the chairman determines that to do so serves the public interest, provided the chairman publicly announces the meeting to the Senate at least twenty-four hours in advance of the actual meeting, and provided the announcement is made while the Senate is in actual session. If within the last two weeks of a regular session or at any other time during a regular session when the chairman has received prior approval from the President, a committee of reference may hold a committee meeting at a time and place and, if necessary, on a day of the week, other than is provided in the Schedule of Committee Meetings, provided that the chairman publicly announces the meeting to the Senate as much in advance as possible of the actual meeting and provided the announcement is made while the Senate is in actual session.

(3) If a regularly scheduled committee meeting is cancelled, the chairman shall announce such cancellation while the Senate is in actual session prior to the time the meeting is scheduled to take place.

(b) A majority of the members of each committee of reference shall constitute a quorum.

(c) Proxies, either written or oral, shall not be permitted for any purpose.

(d) No final committee action shall be taken upon a measure unless notice of the measures that are to be considered is posted at least one calendar day prior to the scheduled meetings at which the measures are to be considered. The numbers, prime sponsor, and abbreviated title shall be included in the posted announcement and shall be printed in the appropriate daily calendar of the Senate. Failure of the chairman to post such notice shall not preclude the committee of reference from taking any action on a measure if such action shall receive a favorable vote of a majority of the members of the committee.

(e) (1) The chairman of each committee of reference shall determine the order of business for each committee meeting, including the measures that will be considered at each meeting. However, at least seven days after a measure has been delivered to the chairman, upon the request of a majority of all members of the committee of reference that a specific measure be considered, such request to be made at a regularly scheduled committee meeting, the chairman of the committee shall announce such fact, have it listed on the subsequent daily calendar of the Senate, and schedule such measure for consideration at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the committee.

(2) Repealed, Senate Resolution 03-10

(f) After a committee of reference has taken its final action on a measure, the chairman of the committee shall make a report of such action to the Secretary of the Senate within five legislative days. However, during the last three days of a legislative session, the chairman of the committee shall make any committee of reference report as soon as possible. Final action shall consist of reporting a measure out of committee, with or without amendments, for consideration by the committee of the whole, reporting a measure out of committee, with or without amendments, for consideration by the committee of the whole with a recommendation that the bill be placed on the consent calendar, a recommendation for reference to another committee of reference, or postponing the measure indefinitely. A motion to postpone consideration of a measure for more than 30 days or until a date beyond the date for adjournment sine die of the legislative session shall be considered a motion to postpone indefinitely. In addition, a measure shall be deemed postponed indefinitely when there has been a tie vote on a motion that would constitute final action and subsequently the applicable deadline for Senate committees of reference to report bills passes without action by the Senate Committee on Delayed Bills to extend the deadline for the measure. The chairman shall make a report to the Secretary of the Senate indicating that any such measure is deemed postponed indefinitely. Following the date of the applicable committee deadline, the chairman shall have five legislative days in which the General Assembly is in actual session to make such report. Every bill shall be reported out of committee for consideration by the Committee of the Whole or indefinitely postponed by a committee of reference prior to the adjournment sine die of the legislative session, and a report to that effect shall be delivered to the secretary. No further action may be taken on any bill that has been indefinitely postponed by a committee of reference and delivered to the secretary.

(g) The staff assistant assigned to each committee of reference shall be responsible to the chairman of the committee for the proper preparation of all reports.

(h) Upon receipt of a measure by the chairman of a committee of reference, the chairman shall be responsible for the safekeeping of the measure, but may give custody of the measure to a staff assistant.

(i) The chairman of a committee of reference shall vote on every question coming before the committee except those in which the chairman has an immediate personal or financial interest. The chairman shall not vote twice, as in the case to make a tie and then to cast the deciding vote. All other members shall vote on all measures before the committee except proposals in which the member has an immediate personal or financial interest.

(j) If a member of a committee of reference is absent from three consecutive scheduled committee meetings without being excused, the committee chairman shall report such fact to the floor leader of the party to which the member belongs.

(k) A recommendation of any committee of reference to amend a measure shall not become an integral part of the measure in question until adopted by the committee of the whole.

(l) (1) The committees of reference as listed in Rule 21 (a) shall be placed in the following categories:

Category	Committee
1	Business, Labor, and Technology. Judiciary. State, Veterans, and Military Affairs.
2	Agriculture and Natural Resources. Education. Health and Human Services.
3	Finance. Local Government and Energy. Transportation.
4	Appropriations.

(2) A member of the Senate shall serve on no more than one committee of reference within a category.

(m) Roll call votes shall be taken and recorded in each committee on final action and on proposed amendments to which one or more committee members have voiced objection. The record shall include the names of those voting on motions to amend and on final action, and how they voted. Said record shall be available for public inspection.

(n) In order to take any action on a measure by a committee of reference, the affirmative vote of a majority of a quorum or a majority of those present and voting, whichever is greater, shall be necessary.

(o) Reconsideration in a committee of reference shall be governed by the provisions of Rule 18 (e) and (f).

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