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Glossary of legislative terms
Act ADJOURN, Motion to Amendment Appropriations Committee Appeal Bill Bill Drafting Bill Introduction Bills Referred to Committee Bill History Calendar Caucus Committee Committee on Committees CONCUR, Motion to Concurrent Resolution Conference Committee Constitutional Majority Daily Order of Business Debate Dialogue DIVISION OF QUESTION, Motion for	Enabling Legislation Fiscal Note General Appropriation Bill Germane Interruption of a Member Joint Resolution LAY ON THE TABLE, Motion to LEGISLATIVE INTENT Legislative Procedures Motion MOVE TO PREVIOUS QUESTION, Motion to Pamphlet Laws PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY Personal Privilege POINT OF ORDER Precedents Privileged Resolutions Quorum RECOMMIT, REREFER, Motion to	RECONSIDER, Motion to REVERT TO PRIOR PRINTER'S NUMBER, Motion to Rules Committee Session Simple Majority Sine Die SPECIAL ORDER, Motion for Special Session Special or Select Committee Sponsor, Co- Sponsor, Prime SUSPEND THE RULES, Motion to TAKE FROM THE TABLE, Motion to Voting
Act A proposed law which has been passed finally by both Houses and becomes law -- whether by approval of the Governor, lack of action by the Governor in the time allowed by the Constitution, or by passage over the Governor's veto by two-thirds vote of the Members elected to both Houses. Top of page ADJOURN, Motion to A privileged motion of the highest order (precedence) -- it cannot be made during a vote on a question or while a Member is speaking. It is non-debatable. It requires approval of a majority voting to pass. Top of page Amendment Changes to legislation may be proposed by an individual Legislator either in committee or on the House Floor in the form of an amendment to a specific portion of the pending measure. All amendments are prepared by the Legislative Reference Bureau. Top of page Appropriations Committee Consists of 32 Members, 20 of the majority party and 12 of the minority party. It considers all legislation that proposes state expenditures. The committee is responsible for analyzing the Governor's budget proposal and drafting alternatives. Top of page Appeal A legislator may challenge any ruling of the Speaker by a motion to the body to appeal the decision of the chair. Top of page Bill A proposed law. Top of page Bill Drafting The Legislative Reference Bureau assists all Members in drafting legislation. Top of page Bill Introduction The prime sponsor of the bill files four signed copies of the bill with the Legislative Bill Clerk who numbers and delivers them to the Speaker. Top of page Bills Referred to Committee The Speaker reports to the House the committees to which bills have been referred, either on the day introduced or recorded, or on the next to legislative days the House is in session. Top of page Bill History Lists bills and resolutions and actions to them by each House. The History also contains a list of all Members, committee assignments, seating chart, officers of the House, veto and item veto messages and index. Top of page Calendar The House daily calendar lists bills an resolutions for consideration and the legislative day which they were reported from committee or the tabled calendar. Top of page Caucus A meeting of Members of the same party to discuss positions on legislation and other matters before the House. Top of page Committee A group of people chosen to perform specific functions. There are a variety of committees in the House, formed to manage the workload related to screening, studying, debating and resolving differences over bills. There are standing committees and subcommittees, special or select committees, and conference committees. Top of page Committee on Committees Consists of the Speaker, ten majority party Members and five Minority party Members who recommend to the House the names of Members to serve on the standing committees. The Speaker appoints the committee chairmen, vice-chairmen, subcommittee chairmen, and secretaries. Top of page CONCUR, Motion to A motion made in a chamber to accept the modifications or amendments made bu the other chamber to a bill already passed by it. It requires the approval of a majority of the elected Members to pass. Top of page Concurrent Resolution A resolution introduced in either the House of Senate and requiring the concurrence of both bodies. Adopted in each body my majority vote of all Members in office. Top of page Conference Committee A joint, bipartisan House-Senate committee of six members which attempts to settle differences over bills which both chambers wish to support. In the House, the Speaker appoints two Members from the majority party and one from the minority party. In the Senate, the President Pro Tempore follows the same procedure. Top of page Constitutional Majority The Constitution requires a majority vote of Members elected (normally 102 or more votes in the House and 26 or more votes in the Senate) for final passage of a bill. Top of page Daily Order of Business Typically, the order of House business is as follows: Prayer by the Chaplain Pledge of Allegiance Correction and approval of the Journal Leaves of absence Master roll call Reports of Committee First consideration bills Second consideration bills Final passage bills recalled from the Governor Final passage bills Third consideration bills Resolutions (House and concurrent) Messages from the Senate and communications from the Governor Referral to appropriate committee of bills, resolutions, petitions, memorials, remonstrances, and other papers Unfinished business on the Speaker's table Announcements Adjournment Top of page Debate Consists of a formal statement of the reasons for (or against) some proposed action. A legislator desiring to debate must first gain recognition from the Speaker. Top of page Dialogue Upon being recognized by the Speaker a Member may speak, confining him or herself to the question under consideration and avoiding personal reflections. Top of page When two or more Members rise at the same time and ask for recognition, the Speaker shall designate the Member who is entitled to the floor. No Member, except the majority and minority leaders, may speak more that twice on any question without the consent of the House. Top of page DIVISION OF QUESTION, Motion for A motion made by any Member so that the chamber can consider and voted separately upon the distinct parts of complex amendment of motion. A ruling as to whether or not a question can be divided is usually made by the presiding officer. It is non-debatable. Top of page Enabling Legislation An act which enables a department or governmental subdivision of the Commonwealth to carry out some action which it otherwise would have no authority to do. Top of page Fiscal Note No bill, except a general appropriations bill, requiring expenditures of or loss of revenue to Commonwealth funds, of funds of any political subdivision shall be given a second consideration reading ton the calendar until it has first been referred to the Appropriations Committee for a statement of fiscal impact. Fiscal notes are required for amendments to bills, conference committee reports, and concurrences in Senate amendments. Top of page General Appropriation Bill The general appropriation bill shall embrace nothing bu appropriations for the executive, legislative and judicial departments of the Commonwealth for the public debt and for public schools. All other appropriations shall be made by separate bills, each embracing but one subject. (Article 3, section 11 of the Pennsylvania Constitution.) Top of page Germane Relevant, suitably related to something, especially something being discussed Top of page Interruption of a Member A Member who has the floor may not be interrupted, except for questions of order. The Member may consent to yield the floor for questions related to the subject before the House. Top of page Joint Resolution Proposes an amendment to the Constitution and requires action by both Houses and is not sent to Governor for approval. Top of page LAY ON THE TABLE, Motion to A motion to lay aside a question which is pending until further action is desired. It is a non-debatable motion and requires a majority of Members voting to pass. Top of page LEGISLATIVE INTENT A statement inserted in the Journal of a chamber of several of its Members indicating what their intentions were in supporting a particular bill. A statement is put in the official record for use by the court in possible future litigation dealing with provisions of a bill. Top of page Legislative Procedures Are determined by a variety of factors: Constitutional mandates Statutes Rules adopted by each House Tradition (precedent) General parliamentary authority Top of page Motion Most of the action on the House floor is initiated by a Member making a special motion. The rules determine the importance of a motion and whether the consideration may be debated. Top of page MOVE TO PREVIOUS QUESTION, Motion to This motion effectively cuts off all debate on a measure and returns immediately to the question. Requires 20 seconders to the motion and a majority vote of Members present for passage. Top of page Pamphlet Laws Contain the text of acts, joint resolutions, vetoes, appropriations and chronological table of statutes affected by these laws. Top of page PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY A motion made to inquire about procedures being followed, or to be followed, during consideration of a measure. Members speaking may be interrupted to make a parliamentary inquiry. Top of page Personal Privilege With consent of the Speaker, a Member may rise and explain a personal matter but cannot discuss a pending question in the explanation. Questions of personal privilege shall be limited to questions affecting the rights, reputation, and conduct of the Members of the House. Top of page POINT OF ORDER A member rises to a point of order when he/she questions the propriety of a procedure being followed. A speaker may be interrupted to raise a point of order. If the presiding officer rules on a point of order, his/her decision may be appealed and overturned by a vote of the majority of Members voting. Top of page Precedents Known as the body of parliamentary law, apart from the rules. The individual precedents generally are interpretations or rulings by presiding officers on specific rules. Such rulings are not binding, but are persuasive. They enable the Speaker to rise above the controversy of the moment by pointing to ruling which was made on the same point in the past. Top of page Privileged Resolutions Receive immediate consideration. They include resolutions that: recall or return bills to the Governor or Senate; originated by the Rules Committee; provide for a joint session of the Senate and House and its procedure; and, call for adjournment or recess. Top of page Quorum A majority of each House shall constitute a quorum. Top of page RECOMMIT, REREFER, Motion to This motion allows a committee to further study a piece of legislation; to delay consideration until a more favorable time. It is debatable, but merits of the bill being recommitted are not. It requires the approval of the majority of Members present to pass. Top of page RECONSIDER, Motion to A motion to have a chamber reconsider a previous action on a measure. It must be made in writing, within the next five days of actual session after the action occurred. It is debatable and it requires a majority of Members voting for approval of a motion to reconsider the vote by which a bill passed of failed to pass a chamber. Motion must be filed by two members. Top of page REVERT TO PRIOR PRINTER'S NUMBER, Motion to A motion that is made to return to a prior printer's number effectively eliminates any amendatory changes made to a measure after that printer's number. When a bill is amended, it is reprinted with changes inserted and assigned a printer's number. This motion requires a simple majority to pass. Top of page Rules Committee Consists of the Speaker, majority leader, minority leader, majority whip, minority whip, majority appropriations chairman, minority appropriations chairman, six Members of the majority party appointed by the Speaker, and four Members of the minority party appointed by the minority leader. The majority leader chairs the committee. The committee makers recommendations intended to improve and expedite the business of the House and its committees and to propose amendments to the rules, if necessary. The committee can vote to remove certain bills from the tabled calendar to the active calendar for consideration. Top of page Session The General Assembly shall be a continuing body during the term for which its Representatives are elected. Members are elected for two-year terms beginning December 1st of each even-numbered year. Top of page Simple Majority Unless otherwise required by House Rules, or the Constitution, actions by the House may be approved by a majority of Members voting. Top of page Sine Die Resolutions fixing the time for final (sine die) adjournment of the General Assembly shall be referred to the Committee on Rules for consideration by the House. Top of page SPECIAL ORDER, Motion for A motion to set aside a time period to consider a particular measure. It is debatable only as to the question of setting the special order. It requires approval of a majority of members voting for passage. Top of page Special Session On the petition of a majority of the Members elected to each House, the Governor must call a special session of the House. Or, the Governor may call a special session if, in his/her opinion, the public interest requires it. Top of page Special or Select Committee Temporary special-purpose committee created to study a particular problem or issue related to a bill. Select Committees may hold public hearings. Top of page Sponsor, Co- A bill's prime sponsor will circulate a draft of the proposed bill among his/her colleagues inviting Members to sign on as co-sponsors. Top of page Sponsor, Prime A bill's prime sponsor is understood to be the legislator introducing the bill, although he/she may have done so at the request of a constituent. Top of page SUSPEND THE RULES, Motion to A motion usually made to remove parliamentary obstacles to the consideration of a specific measure. It is non-debatable. Approval of a Constitutional majority is needed for passage. Top of page TAKE FROM THE TABLE, Motion to A motion requesting the previously set aside (or tabled) bill or resolution be taken up for consideration again. It is non-debatable and requires approval of the majority of Members voting for passage. Top of page Voting Every Member present shall vote on each question put before the House. Unless otherwise indicated by the House Rules or Constitution, all action by the House shall be by a majority vote of those Members present. Top of page