Legislative Manual Oklahoma House of Representatives Sixteenth Revised Edition February 2015 © 2015 Oklahoma House of Representatives, see Copyright Notice at www.okhouse.gov 15-0199 Page 2 2015 Legislative Manual Oklahoma House of Representatives Legislative Manual Presented to the House Members of the Fifty-fifth Oklahoma Legislature Speaker of the House Jeffrey W. Hickman Sixteenth Revised Edition February 2015 Revised by: Marcia L. Goff Research Director Jan Harrison Joel Kintsel Sue Derr Mark Tygret Chief Clerk Parliamentarian/Administrator Chief Counsel Fiscal Director 2015 Legislative Manual Page 3 Page 4 2015 Legislative Manual Table of Contents PREFACE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER ONE – Legislative Powers and Functions .................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER TWO – Legislative Sessions and Interims ................................................................................. 17 Regular and Organizational Sessions ............................................................................................................... 17 Special or Extraordinary Sessions ..................................................................................................................... 17 Recesses and Adjournments ................................................................................................................................ 18 Meetings, Working Hours, and Deadlines ...................................................................................................... 18 Interim Meetings ...................................................................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER THREE – Legislative Body and Members .................................................................................... 21 Size and Apportionment ....................................................................................................................................... 21 Membership Qualifications .................................................................................................................................. 22 Membership Disqualifications and Term Limits ......................................................................................... 22 Elections ...................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Vacancies ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Compensation and Benefits ................................................................................................................................. 23 Communications ....................................................................................................................................................... 25 Other Benefits ............................................................................................................................................................ 26 Privileges and Immunities .................................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER FOUR – Organization of the House ............................................................................................... 29 Legislative Officers .................................................................................................................................................. 29 Swearing In and Presession Orientation......................................................................................................... 30 Seating of Members and Other Organizational Matters ............................................................................ 31 House Officers and Employees ........................................................................................................................... 32 Committees and Subcommittees ....................................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER FIVE – Enactment of Laws................................................................................................................ 39 Legislative Powers and Limitations .................................................................................................................. 39 CHAPTER SIX – Daily Legislative Routine ...................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER SEVEN – The Course of Bills in Becoming Law ........................................................................ 45 Preparing a Bill ......................................................................................................................................................... 46 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 49 First Reading .............................................................................................................................................................. 50 Second Reading ......................................................................................................................................................... 50 Committee Assignment and Consideration ................................................................................................... 50 Floor Consideration and Third Reading .......................................................................................................... 52 2015 Legislative Manual Page 5 Engrossment .............................................................................................................................................................. 54 Consideration by the Second House ................................................................................................................. 54 After Passage by the Senate or Conference Committees .......................................................................... 55 Enrollment .................................................................................................................................................................. 56 Transmittal to the Governor ................................................................................................................................ 56 Consideration by the Governor .......................................................................................................................... 57 Consideration of a Veto .......................................................................................................................................... 58 Referendum Petitions............................................................................................................................................. 58 Publication as Law ................................................................................................................................................... 58 Carryover Bills .......................................................................................................................................................... 58 Administrative Rules, Attorney General Opinions, and Court Rulings ............................................... 59 CHAPTER EIGHT – Enactment or Adoption and Promulgation of Legislative Measures ............. 63 Bills ................................................................................................................................................................................ 63 Joint Resolutions ...................................................................................................................................................... 63 Concurrent Resolutions ......................................................................................................................................... 64 Simple Resolutions .................................................................................................................................................. 64 CHAPTER NINE – Reading and Understanding a Bill ................................................................................. 67 Components of a Bill ............................................................................................................................................... 67 Oklahoma Statutes ................................................................................................................................................... 69 Oklahoma Session Laws ........................................................................................................................................ 69 Annotated Statutes .................................................................................................................................................. 70 CHAPTER TEN – Voting .......................................................................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER ELEVEN – Parliamentary Procedure ...........................................................................................