43. CHIEF CLERK


(a) The chief clerk of the House shall attend to the orderly conduct of the business of the House, under direction of the Speaker.

(a.5) The chief clerk of the House shall be selected without reference to party affiliation and solely on the basis of ability to perform the duties of the position.

(b) The chief clerk shall keep a journal of each day's proceedings and business, in which shall be correctly entered:

(1) The result of the roll call taken each day at the hour of convening.

(2) The full titles of all bills, resolutions, joint resolutions, memorials, and joint memorials introduced.

(3) Reports of reference, permanent, special, or conference committees.

(4) Proposed amendments to bills, resolutions, and memorials.

(5) Each report of the committee of the whole.

(6) Messages from the Senate and the Governor and communications from other state officers and departments.

(7) The result of every vote taken, with the ayes and noes, if such were demanded or required.

(8) The ayes and noes and the names of those voting for and against every bill and concurrent resolution on third reading and final passage, the concurrence by the House in amendments made by the Senate to House bills, and the adoption of all reports of conference committees.

(9) An enumeration of the bills introduced, sent to the printer, and returned from the printer each day, and the chief clerk shall attest to the fact that bills returned from the printer have been correctly printed.

(10) Such other matters as the House may direct.

(c) The chief clerk shall keep a record called the docket, in which shall be entered the number, title, and sponsor or sponsors of each and every House or Senate bill, and the number and sponsor or sponsors of each and every resolution or memorial with proper indexing and continuing notations relative to the status and progress of each of the same until final disposition thereof.

(d) The chief clerk shall cause any Senate bill not appearing in the records of the House in the form in which passed by the Senate to appear in correct form in the journal or otherwise, as the House may direct.

(e) Repealed 1989 Session.

(f) The chief clerk shall prepare a list of all bills and concurrent resolutions arranged as general or special orders.

(g) The chief clerk shall prepare a list of all bills and concurrent resolutions, adopted by the House on second reading, entering same in the order in which adopted, which list shall be called "Third Reading ─ Final Passage."

(h) The chief clerk shall cause the lists hereinabove specified, together with such other matters as the House may direct, to be posted on a bulletin board, and also printed and laid upon the desks of the members, and such shall constitute the calendar.

(i) The chief clerk shall also prepare and cause to be printed and laid upon the desks of the members at appropriate times a supplement to the calendar containing a list of conference committee reports, resolutions, memorials, and other matters, in the order named.

(j) The chief clerk shall guard all documents and records of the House and shall permit no bill or record of any nature to be taken from the chief clerk's desk or out of the chief clerk's custody, except in the regular course of business of the House, and the chief clerk shall not, at any time or place, allow the same to be handled or examined by any persons other than the Speaker, members, officers and employees of the House, or the authorized printer in the necessary performance of their official duties.

(k) The chief clerk shall take a receipt for every document which may pass from the chief clerk's custody in the regular course of the business of the House, and between the House and Senate, and shall keep record thereof; and if any bill or other record in the chief clerk's custody is missing, the chief clerk shall report the fact to the Speaker, immediately upon discovery.

(l) All officers and employees at the chief clerk's desk and in the enrolling room shall be under the chief clerk's direction, and shall perform such duties as the chief clerk may from time to time assign to them.

(m) All officers and employees of the House under the chief clerk's direction shall be selected without reference to party affiliation and solely on the basis of ability to perform the duties of their positions.

(n) In the event of the death, resignation, disability, or absence from the state of the chief clerk, the assistant chief clerk, as acting chief clerk, shall exercise all the powers and duties of the chief clerk until a new chief clerk is selected or until the disability or absence from the state of the chief clerk is removed, whichever shall occur first. If the assistant chief clerk is unable to serve as an acting chief clerk, the speaker of the House shall appoint a new acting chief clerk, who shall exercise all the powers and duties of the chief clerk until a new chief clerk is selected or until the disability or absence from the state of the chief clerk is removed, whichever shall occur first. Appointments to such position shall be made without reference to party affiliation and solely on the basis of ability to perform the duties of the position.

(o) The chief clerk shall be a custodian of the official seal of the House, as established by Rule 52 of these rules.