Legislative Manual
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Oklahoma House of Representatives LEGISLATIVE MANUAL Speaker Chris Benge Thirteenth Revised Edition November 2010 PRESENTED TO THE FIFTY-THIRD OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE Prepared by: Oklahoma House of Representatives Office of Committee Staff Table of Contents PREFACE ........................................................................................................................................ VII CHAPTER ONE - THE LEGISLATIVE POWERS AND FUNCTIONS .......................................................... 1 CHAPTER TWO - LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS AND INTERIMS .................................................................. 7 Regular and Organizational Sessions ................................................................................ 7 Special or Extraordinary Sessions ..................................................................................... 7 Recesses and Adjournments .............................................................................................. 8 Meetings, Working Hours, and Deadlines ........................................................................ 9 Interim Study Meetings ................................................................................................... 10 Task Forces ...................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER THREE - LEGISLATIVE BODY AND MEMBERS ................................................................. 13 Size and Apportionment .................................................................................................. 13 Membership Qualifications ............................................................................................. 15 Term Limits ..................................................................................................................... 15 Elections .......................................................................................................................... 16 Vacancies ......................................................................................................................... 16 Compensation and Benefits ............................................................................................. 17 Salaries ............................................................................................................................ 17 Deferred Compensation ................................................................................................... 17 Insurance ......................................................................................................................... 18 Retirement ....................................................................................................................... 18 Session Travel ................................................................................................................. 19 Other Travel .................................................................................................................... 19 Taxes ............................................................................................................................... 19 Office and Parking ........................................................................................................... 20 Staff, Pages, and Other Personnel ................................................................................... 20 Communications .............................................................................................................. 21 Motor Vehicle Tag .......................................................................................................... 22 Privileges and Immunities ............................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER FOUR - ORGANIZATION OF THE HOUSE .......................................................................... 25 Legislative Officers ......................................................................................................... 25 Swearing In and Presession Orientation .......................................................................... 27 Seating of Members, Election of Officers, and Commencement of Session .................. 27 House Officers and Employees ....................................................................................... 29 Committees and Subcommittees ..................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER FIVE - ENACTMENT OF LAWS ......................................................................................... 37 Legislative Powers and Limitations ................................................................................ 37 Restrictions on Taxation and Fiscal Responsibility ........................................................ 38 CHAPTER SIX - DAILY LEGISLATIVE ROUTINE ............................................................................... 41 CHAPTER SEVEN - THE COURSE OF BILLS IN BECOMING LAW ....................................................... 43 Preparing a Bill ................................................................................................................ 45 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 48 First Reading ................................................................................................................... 49 Second Reading ............................................................................................................... 50 Committee Assignment and Consideration ..................................................................... 50 Floor Consideration and Third Reading .......................................................................... 52 Engrossment .................................................................................................................... 55 Consideration by the Second House ................................................................................ 55 After Passage by the Senate or Conference Committees ................................................ 56 Enrollment ....................................................................................................................... 58 Transmittal to the Governor ............................................................................................ 58 Consideration by the Governor ....................................................................................... 58 Consideration of a Veto ................................................................................................... 60 Referendum Petitions ...................................................................................................... 60 Publication as Law .......................................................................................................... 60 Carryover Bills ................................................................................................................ 61 Administrative Rules, Attorney General Opinions, and Court Rulings .......................... 61 CHAPTER EIGHT - ENACTMENT OR ADOPTION AND PROMULGATION OF LEGISLATIVE MEASURES ..................................................................................................................................... 65 Bills ................................................................................................................................. 65 Joint Resolutions ............................................................................................................. 65 Concurrent Resolutions ................................................................................................... 66 Simple Resolutions .......................................................................................................... 66 CHAPTER NINE - READING AND UNDERSTANDING A BILL ............................................................. 67 Components of a Bill ....................................................................................................... 67 Oklahoma Statutes ........................................................................................................... 69 Oklahoma Session Laws ................................................................................................. 70 Annotated Statutes ........................................................................................................... 70 CHAPTER TEN - VOTING ................................................................................................................ 73 CHAPTER ELEVEN - PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE ....................................................................... 77 Parliamentary Decisions, Appeals, and Precedent .......................................................... 77 Obtaining the Floor ......................................................................................................... 78 Question of Personal Privilege, Incidental Motions, and Precedence of Motions .......... 78 Adoption and Withdrawal of Motions ............................................................................. 80 Restrictions on Debate ..................................................................................................... 80 CHAPTER TWELVE - LEGISLATIVE STAFF AND OTHER LEGISLATIVE SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS ...........................................................................................................................