Oklahoma House of Representatives LEGISLATIVE MANUAL Speaker Chris Benge Twelfth Revised Edition November 2008 PRESENTED TO THE FIFTY-SECOND OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE Prepared by: Oklahoma House of Representatives Office of Committee Staff Our appreciation to the photography staff of the Legislative Services Bureau for the cover photograph. This publication is printed by the House Duplicating Shop of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Five hundred (500) copies have been prepared and distributed at a cost of $5.10 each to the taxpayers of Oklahoma. Reference copies have been deposited with the Publications Clearinghouse of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. 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 Meetings ............................................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER THREE - LEGISLATIVE BODY AND MEMBERS ................................................................. 13 Size and Apportionment .................................................................................................. 13 Membership Qualifications ............................................................................................. 14 Membership Disqualifications/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 ................................................ 55 Enrollment ....................................................................................................................... 58 Transmittal to the Governor ............................................................................................ 58 Consideration by the Governor ....................................................................................... 58 Consideration of a Veto ................................................................................................... 59 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