(a) A secretary of the Senate shall be elected at the commencement of each session, and at such other times as may be necessary, to hold office at the pleasure of the Senate. The secretary of the Senate shall be elected without reference to party affiliation and solely on the basis of ability to perform the duties of the position. In addition to other duties imposed by these rules, the secretary shall:
(1) Have custody and care of every bill, resolution, and memorial, and other papers coming into the secretary's possession, and of all records of the Senate, none of which shall be examined or taken from the secretary's custody except by the President, Senators, and officers and employees of the Senate, and the printer of Senate papers, acting in the necessary performance of their official duties.
(2) Take a receipt for every document which passes from the secretary's possession in the due course of business of the Senate, and keep a record book of all such receipts.
(3) Report in writing to the President if any papers in the secretary's charge shall be missing, which report shall be publicly announced to the Senate.
(4) Keep a docket book of all bills, resolutions, and memorials introduced in the Senate or received from the House, in which shall be entered the number, title, and introducers of all such bills, resolutions, and memorials, and every action taken thereon and the date thereof, until final disposition of the same shall be made.
(5) Unless otherwise directed by the President, have general supervision over all employees of the Senate and report to the Senate services committee any misconduct or neglect of duty on the part of any such employee.
(6) Attend to the printing and distribution of all bills, journals, calendars, and documents or other papers printed by the Senate, and to the purchase of all Senate supplies, under the direction of the Senate services committee.
(7) Enter in the journal on a daily basis an enumeration of the bills or other measures ordered printed each day.
(b) An assistant secretary of the Senate shall be appointed. 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.
(c) In the event of the death, resignation, disability, or absence from the state of the secretary of the Senate, the assistant secretary, as acting secretary of the Senate, shall exercise all the powers and duties of the secretary of the Senate until a new secretary of the Senate is selected or until the disability or absence from the state of the secretary of the Senate is removed, whichever shall occur first. If the assistant secretary is unable to serve as an acting secretary of the Senate, the president of the Senate shall appoint a new acting secretary of the Senate, who shall exercise all the powers and duties of the secretary of the Senate until a new secretary of the Senate is selected or until the disability or absence from the state of the secretary of the Senate 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.