Bill Text: NJ SR77 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires House consideration of certain bills or resolutions designated by Minority Leader.
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 [SR77 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-SR77-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator EDWARD DURR
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
SYNOPSIS
Requires House consideration of certain bills or resolutions designated by Minority Leader.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution concerning House consideration of certain bills or resolutions designated by the Minority Leader, and amending Rule 17:7.
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. Rule 17:7 is amended to read as follows:
Designated by the Minority Leader.
a. Any bill or resolution may, on motion with the consent of its sponsor, be made the order of the day, and shall be considered whether or not it is on the Calendar for that day, and in preference to all other business of the Senate.
b. At any meeting, the total number of bills and joint and concurrent resolutions considered for final passage shall not exceed 30. The consideration of concurrences with General Assembly amendments shall not be included in this limit. The reconsideration of bills vetoed by the Governor, through either concurrence with the Governor's recommendations or veto override, shall not be included in the 30 bill limit.
c. On the recommendation of the President, the Senate may adopt a resolution limiting the consideration of bills and resolutions at its next meeting to those listed in the resolution.
d. The Minority Leader may designate three bills or resolutions each two-year legislative session which shall then be presented for consideration for final passage at a meeting of the Senate subject to the following provisions:
(1) The bill or resolution shall have at least 16 Senate sponsors, or be a General Assembly bill or resolution with an identical Senate bill or resolution that has at least 16 Senate sponsors.
(2) The first prime sponsor or first co-prime sponsor of the Senate bill or resolution shall join the Minority Leader in designating the bill or resolution, or identical General Assembly bill or resolution, as requiring consideration for final passage pursuant to this rule.
(3) The Minority Leader shall provide a signed written notice, also signed by the first prime or first co-prime sponsor, to the President and Secretary, designating the bill or resolution as requiring consideration for final passage pursuant to this rule. For a bill and any resolution that requires three readings before final passage pursuant to Rule 17:5, the notice shall not be in order unless at least 45 days have passed since the bill or resolution received first reading, or, if on second reading, at least 45 days have passed since the bill or resolution received second reading. In the case of identical Senate and General Assembly bills or resolutions, the reading of either bill may satisfy the 45-day requirement in order to proceed with designating the General Assembly bill or resolution for consideration for final passage.
(4) The Secretary shall enter the Minority Leader's notice in the Journal on the day of receipt if a quorum is present, or the next day on which a quorum is present. The notice shall be effective as of the date of entry in the Journal.
(5) Once the Minority Leader's notice is effective, if on that day the designated bill or resolution is currently referred to a reference committee, it shall result in that committee being immediately relieved of the bill or resolution, without need for a Senator to move to do so pursuant to Rule 12:6 and regardless of the number of days that have elapsed since the bill or resolution was referred to the committee. The President shall then order the bill or resolution to second reading that same day, if required pursuant to Rule 17:5. Once on second reading, any designated bill or resolution shall not be subject to any motion to refer to another committee, recommit to the same committee, return to second reading for the purpose of amendment, or any other motion other than to substitute an identical bill or resolution pursuant to Rule 17:3, and to move the bill or resolution for final passage.
(6) Within 30 days of the effective date of the notice, a public hearing on the designated bill or resolution shall be held in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 22 of these rules by the reference committee that was relieved of the bill or resolution, or by another committee designated by the President for this purpose. The bill or resolution shall be considered a matter under investigation or study by the committee holding the hearing, and, pursuant to this rule, shall not be recommitted or referred to the committee.
(7) Not less than five days after the public hearing, the President shall include the designated bill or resolution on the Calendar of Bills and Resolutions for consideration at a meeting of the Senate in accordance with Rule 3:7. The bill or resolution shall be deemed the order of the day for that meeting, in preference to all other business of the Senate, without need for a Senator to move to do so pursuant to subsection a.
(8) The Minority Leader's notice designating a bill or resolution as requiring consideration for final passage described in subsection d.(3) may only be withdrawn by the Minority Leader. If it is withdrawn after the holding of the public hearing on the bill or resolution pursuant to subsection d.(6), that bill or resolution shall count as one of the three bills or resolutions the Minority Leader designated under this rule, even though it was not considered for final passage due to the withdrawal of the notice.
2. This resolution shall
take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This resolution would amend Rule 17:7 so that the House would be required to consider for final passage up to three bills or resolutions designated by the Minority Leader during each two-year legislative session. In order for a bill or resolution to be designated by the Minority Leader, it would need to have at least 16 Senate sponsors, or be a General Assembly bill or resolution with an identical Senate bill or resolution with at least 16 Senate sponsors. Also, the first prime sponsor or first co-prime sponsor of the Senate bill or resolution would be required to join the Minority Leader in designating the Senate or identical Assembly bill or resolution for consideration for final passage.
The Minority Leader would provide a signed written notice, also signed by the prime or first co-prime sponsor, to the Senate President and Senate Secretary, designating the bill or resolution. Such notice would not be in order for a bill or for any resolution that required three readings according to the Senate Rules, unless at least 45 days had passed since it received first reading, or if on second reading, at least 45 days had passed since it received second reading. In the case of identical Senate and General Assembly bills or resolutions, the reading of either bill would satisfy the 45-day requirement in order to proceed with designating the General Assembly bill or resolution for consideration for final passage.
Following the notice, if the bill or resolution was currently referred to a reference committee, that committee would be relieved of the bill or resolution, and the Senate President would order it to second reading. Any designated bill or resolution, once on second reading, could not be subject to any motion other than to substitute an identical bill, and to move the bill or resolution for final passage.
A public hearing would be held on the designated bill or resolution, within 30 days of the notice of designation, by the reference committee that was relieved of the bill or resolution, or another committee designated by the Senate President. Not less than five days after the public hearing, the Senate President would include the bill or resolution on the Calendar of Bills and Resolutions for consideration at a meeting of the Senate. That bill or resolution would be deemed the order of the day at the meeting, in preference to all other business of the Senate.
A notice designating a bill or resolution for consideration for final passage could only be withdrawn by the Minority Leader. Should this occur after the public hearing was held, then the designated bill or resolution would count as one of the three bills or resolutions that the Minority Leader could designate under the amended rule, even though it was not considered for final passage due to the withdrawal of the notice.
