Bill Text: NJ SR78 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires House consideration of Senate legislation with 21 or more sponsors; provides for member special order speeches at designated sessions and public comment periods at designated committee meetings.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-24 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee [SR78 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-SR78-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator EDWARD DURR
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
SYNOPSIS
Requires House consideration of Senate legislation with 21 or more sponsors; provides for member special order speeches at designated sessions and public comment periods at designated committee meetings.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution concerning House and committee procedures, amending rules 3:7, 12:3, and 12:6 of the Senate, and adding new Rule 2:10.
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. Rule 3:7 is amended to read as follows:
3:7. Calendar of Bills and Resolutions, Consent List; Notice.
a. The President shall prepare a Calendar of Bills and Resolutions for consideration subject to the provisions of Rule 17:7. The President may include as part of the Calendar of Bills and Resolutions a consent list consisting of bills and resolutions which the Majority and Minority Leaders have jointly identified as not requiring debate.
b. When a Senate bill or resolution on second reading has 21 or more sponsors, the President shall include that bill or resolution on the Calendar of Bills and Resolutions not later than the second meeting of the Senate at which bills or resolutions are scheduled for consideration, subsequent to when the Senate bill or resolution has received second reading or added its 21st sponsor, whichever is later.
c. The President, insofar as is practicable, shall give three State working days' notice of the bills and resolutions calendared for a particular day to the Senators and the news media. The notice shall also be posted on the legislative bulletin board. This provision shall not restrict the President or the Senate from proceeding, in accordance with the Rules, to consider other items on a particular day.
2. Rule 12:6 is amended to read as follows:
12:6. Relieve Committee of a Bill or Resolution.
a. The prime sponsor, or first co‑prime sponsor of any Senate bill or resolution, or a Senator acting on behalf of the prime sponsor or first co‑prime sponsor of an Assembly bill or resolution may move to relieve a reference committee of a bill or resolution. The motion shall not be in order unless 60 days have elapsed since the bill was referred to committee and 24 hours' notice of the motion has been given to the Senate. The motion shall not prevail unless it receives at least 21 votes.
b. When a Senate bill or resolution has 21 or more sponsors, and at least 60 days have elapsed since the bill or resolution was referred to committee and while having 21 or more sponsors, without reporting the bill or resolution, the prime or first co-prime sponsor of the bill or resolution may so advise the President in writing, and upon receipt and verification of that advice, the committee shall be deemed relieved of the Senate bill or resolution and the President shall order the bill or resolution to second reading no later than the next meeting of the Senate when a quorum is present.
The bill or resolution shall not be referred to another committee or recommitted to a committee except pursuant to Rule 12:11 or by the vote of 21 or more members.
3. Rule 12:3 is amended to read as follows:
12:3. Reference Committees' Meetings, Duties; Notice; Agenda; Public Comments.
a. Each reference committee shall meet at the call of its chair. Reference committees may consider bills, resolutions, nominations and other matters referred to them by the President or by Senate Resolution; review the functions, duties and operations of agencies of the State, and its political subdivisions, relevant to their subject areas; and investigate any matter within their subject areas, which investigations shall conclude with a written report to the Senate which may include findings and recommendations.
b. The chair shall notify the Senate and the Office of Legislative Services, for posting and distribution to the public, of the date, time, location and agenda of each meeting or public hearing. The notice shall be distributed to the public at least five State working days prior to the meeting or public hearing, except in the case of an emergency.
c. No committee agenda shall list more than 12 bills except by permission of the President. After notice of the agenda is given, no bill or resolution may be added to it unless authorized by the President. No bill or resolution may be reported from committee unless it was included on an agenda. A majority of the committee may direct that a bill or resolution be included on the agenda for the next meeting of the committee.
d. At least two times in each year of a two-year legislative session, each reference committee, as noticed by its chair, shall schedule at least two hours for public comments on any matters relevant to the committee's subject area, including comments addressing particular bills or resolutions referred to the committee. Comments shall be confined to matters relevant to the subject area of the committee and shall avoid personalities. No member of the public shall speak longer than five minutes and shall promptly conclude remarks upon being advised that time is expired. The chair may set additional reasonable requirements for these comments, and determine all questions that arise in the course of the comment period, including ruling members of the public out of order. A member of the public ruled out of order shall forfeit any remaining time for comments.
4. Rule 2:10 is added as follows:
2:10. (New) Special Order Speeches.
a. At least four times in each year of a two-year legislative session, the President, by special order at a meeting of the Senate, shall open the floor to special order speeches by members after the Senate has concluded its consideration of bills and resolutions on third reading, but while the voting board remains open for unfinished and routine business.
b. The majority and minority parties shall each have up to one hour for special order speeches, and the President shall determine the order of speeches. A member's speech shall not exceed 15 minutes.
5. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This resolution amends several rules and adds a new rule concerning both House and committee procedures.
Specifically, Rule 3:7 is amended so that when a Senate bill or resolution on second reading has 21 or more sponsors, that bill or resolution would be included by the Senate President on an upcoming Calendar of Bills and Resolutions for consideration. If a Senate bill or resolution with 21 or more sponsors had initially been referred to a committee, and at least 60 days had elapsed since being referred and while having 21 or more sponsors, amendments to Rule 12:6 would provide a procedure for the prime or first co-prime sponsor of the bill or resolution to advise the President of this matter, triggering the automatic relieving of the committee of that bill or resolution as well as its second reading. Such actions would then lead to the bill's or resolution's inclusion on a Calendar of Bills and Resolutions for consideration in accordance with amended Rule 3:7.
An additional change to committee procedures would be established by amending Rule 12:3 to require each standing reference committee, as noticed by its chair, to schedule public comment periods at least two times in each year of a two-year legislative session. These public comment periods would take place for at least two hours, and members of the public could present remarks to the committee, for no longer than five minutes, on any matters relevant to the subject area of the committee, including remarks on particular bills or resolutions referred to the committee. The chair would be authorized to set additional reasonable requirements for public comments, and to determine all questions that arise in the course of the comment period, including ruling members of the public out of order.
Finally, new Rule 2:10 would establish a designated period, by special order of the Senate President at a meeting of the Senate, occurring at least four times in each year of a two-year legislative session, during which the floor would be open for special order speeches by members. The majority and minority parties would each have up to one hour for special order speeches, and an individual member's speech would be limited to no more than 15 minutes. The Senate President would determine the order of speeches during the designated period.
