ar77
Assembly Rule 77. Voting mandatory; exceptions. When a question is put every member present shall vote either “aye" or “no" unless paired with another member who is absent with leave, or unless the assembly for special cause excuses the member from voting.
ar78
Assembly Rule 78. Presiding officer votes. The presiding officer shall vote and be recorded on all roll call votes.
ar79
Assembly Rule 79. Pairs. Members may pair on any question by filing a signed statement with the chief clerk indicating the questions on which they wish to be paired. The chief clerk shall read the pair to the assembly before the vote is taken. A “pair" form for the use of members shall be provided by the chief clerk.
ar79(1)
(1) A pair may not be recognized unless one or both of the parties thereto are absent with leave.
ar79(2)
(2) If one party to a pair is present and votes, the pair is invalidated.
ar79(3)
(3) Pairs are applicable to the main questions on a proposal and do not apply to amendments or procedural motions unless the pair so specifies.
ar79(4)
(4) A pair is not counted as part of the official result of a vote, but shall be recorded.
ar79(5)
(5) For the purpose of establishing a qualified majority or quorum, both members of the pair are considered not present.
ar80
Assembly Rule 80. Division of the question. ar80(1)(1)
Any member may request a division of simple amendments and motions involving distinct and independent propositions or concurrent actions if they are severable without being rewritten or restated, and the question shall be divided if each separate proposition or action to be voted on is complete and proper regardless of the action taken on any other portion of the original question.
ar80(2)
(2) If it is the opinion of the presiding officer that the proposed division of a simple amendment is unduly complex or the purpose of the division can be more clearly or simply accomplished by amendment, or that a call for a division is being used as a substitute for a series of amendments, the question may not be divided.
ar80(3)
(3) An amendment to delete certain words and to substitute other words is one indivisible proposition.
ar80(4)
(4) Bills, joint resolutions, resolutions, and substitute amendments, and amendments received from the senate for assembly concurrence, may not be divided. A bill vetoed in its entirety by the governor may not be divided. A report of a committee of conference may not be divided.
ar80(5)
(5) When a bill has been vetoed in part and the assembly considers a specific item for passage notwithstanding the objections of the governor, any member may request that the item be divided. The item may be divided on request by a member if:
ar80(5)(a)
(a) The request proposes to so divide the item that each separate proposition, if passed notwithstanding the objections of the governor, will result in a complete and workable law regardless of the action taken on any other part of the original item.
ar80(5)(b)
(b) It is the opinion of the presiding officer that the item involves distinct and independent propositions capable of division and that the division will not be unduly complex.
ar80(6)
(6) When a bill has been vetoed in part the committee on rules may, by a resolution offered under rule 33, propose to schedule a specific part as a special order. When appropriate, the resolution may divide the part into one or more independent propositions and dependent propositions. The proposed division must include at least one separate proposition that, if passed notwithstanding the objections of the governor, will result in a complete and workable law regardless of the action taken on any other part of the original part. The presiding officer shall first put the question on the independent proposition. The question on any proposition dependent thereon may be put only if the independent proposition has been passed notwithstanding the objections of the governor.
ar81
Assembly Rule 81. Tie loses question. Whenever the assembly casts a tie vote, the question is lost.
ar82
Assembly Rule 82. Interruptions of clerk during roll call. A person may not visit or remain at the clerk's desk while a roll call vote or tabulation is in progress.
Chapter 10:
PROCEDURES UNDER CALL
ar83
Assembly Rule 83. Call of the assembly. ar83(1)(1)
Any member who obtains the floor may request a call of the assembly to require absent members to be sent for.
ar83(2)
(2) A call of the assembly is in order at any time, including while a motion to adjourn is pending, but not when voting is in progress or a request for a leave of absence or a motion to lift a call is pending.
ar83(2m)
(2m) Notwithstanding subs. (3) and (4), the presiding officer may order a call of the house, without seconds.
ar83(3)
(3) A call of the assembly requires 15 seconds.
ar83(4)
(4) On a call of the assembly being requested, the presiding officer shall state substantially: “It requires 15 members to second a call of the assembly; those in favor of the call will rise." If 15 members rise, the call is ordered.
ar84
Assembly Rule 84. Members to remain in chamber when under call. When a call of the assembly is ordered, the sergeant at arms shall close the doors and members may not leave the assembly chamber.
ar85
Assembly Rule 85. Sergeant to bring in absentees. When a call of the assembly is ordered, the chief clerk shall immediately call the roll of the members. At the conclusion of the call of the roll the names of absent members shall be read aloud and entered in the journal indicating those absent with leave and those absent without leave. The chief clerk shall furnish the sergeant at arms with a list of those who are absent without leave, and the sergeant at arms shall proceed to bring in such absentees.
ar85(1)
(1) If summary process is required to secure the attendance of absentees, it shall be carried out as prescribed by law.
ar85(2)
(2) Expenses incurred by the sergeant at arms in securing the attendance of absent members may, with the consent of the assembly, be imposed upon such members.
ar86
Assembly Rule 86. Business under call. While the assembly is under call:
ar86(1)
(1) Business may be transacted as if there were no call except that further action may not be taken on the specific question under consideration when the call was ordered.
ar86(2)
(2) A concurrent call may be ordered on any question taken up after an initial call.
ar86(3)
(3) All motions relating to the call, adjournment, or any recess shall be decided by a roll call vote.
ar86(4)
(4) The sergeant at arms may at any time report on the progress or completion of the call. Any such report shall be entered in the journal.
ar87
Assembly Rule 87. Lifting a call. A call of the assembly terminates or is lifted when any of the following occurs:
ar87(1)
(1) The sergeant at arms or the chief clerk reports that all who were absent without leave are present.
ar87(2)
(2) A motion to lift the call is approved by a majority of the current membership.
ar87(3)
(3) The assembly recesses or adjourns.
ar88
Assembly Rule 88. Successive calls on same question. Successive calls on the same question are not in order unless significant business, a recess, or an adjournment has intervened.
Chapter 11:
CHANGE, SUSPENSION, AUTHORITY OF RULES
ar89
Assembly Rule 89. Changing assembly rules. Assembly rules may be rescinded or changed only with the approval of a majority of the current membership by roll call vote.
ar89(1)
(1) Any proposed change of assembly rules shall be offered as a resolution.
ar89(2)
(2) Any resolution affecting assembly rules shall be referred by the speaker or presiding officer to the calendar for the 2nd legislative day after it is offered, or to a committee. A resolution providing for the adoption of assembly rules at the commencement of a legislative biennium may be taken up immediately after it is offered if the resolution has been provided to the assembly members-elect of the new legislature at least one week before the convening of the session.
ar90
Assembly Rule 90. Suspension of the rules. ar90(1)(1)
Any assembly or joint rule may be suspended by the unanimous consent of the members present or by a two-thirds roll call vote of the members present.
ar90(2)
(2) When a unanimous consent request is made or a suspension of the rules is moved, the purpose sought to be accomplished thereby shall be stated.
ar90(3)
(3) When a unanimous consent request is granted or a motion to suspend the rules prevails, only those rules are suspended that otherwise would prevent the accomplishment of the stated purpose.
ar90(4)
(4) Except as provided in rule 15 (2), a unanimous consent request or a motion to suspend the rules may be made at any time under any order of business by a member who obtains the floor, but not while the assembly is voting.
ar90(5)
(5) Unanimous consent requests and motions to suspend the rules are not permitted for frivolous, indecorous, or clearly dilatory purposes.
ar91
Assembly Rule 91. Authority and interpretation of the rules. The power to make rules governing its procedure is a constitutional power of each house of the legislature. The rules of the assembly, together with the joint rules, govern the assembly's parliamentary practice.
ar91(1)
(1) In the absence of a pertinent assembly or joint rule, questions of parliamentary procedure are decided according to applicable rules of parliamentary practice in Jefferson's manual which are not inconsistent with constitutional or statutory provisions relating to the functioning of the legislature.
ar91(2)
(2) Established precedents of both houses, long-established custom, opinions of the attorney general interpreting rules and precedents, and other leading parliamentary authorities such as Mason's manual may be used in the interpretation of both the assembly rules and the rules in Jefferson's manual.
ar92
Assembly Rule 92. Continuity of assembly rules. The rules of the assembly remain in effect until amended or rescinded by the assembly. At the beginning of a new biennial session, the rules of the assembly in effect at the conclusion of the preceding regular session remain in force until superseded by assembly rules adopted in the new session of the legislature.
ar93
Assembly Rule 93. Special, extended, or extraordinary sessions. Unless otherwise provided by the assembly for a specific special, extended, or extraordinary session, the rules of the assembly adopted for the regular session, subject to the following modifications, apply to each special session called by the governor and to each extended or extraordinary session called by the assembly and senate committees on organization or called by a joint resolution adopted by one house and concurred in by the other house:
ar93(1)
(1) A proposal or amendment may not be considered by the assembly unless it is germane to the session call or pertains to the organization of the legislature.
ar93(2)
(2) An assembly proposal may not be considered unless it is recommended to be introduced, offered, or considered by the assembly committees on finance, organization, or rules, or by the joint committees on employment relations, finance, or organization.
ar93(3)
(3) A notice of a committee meeting is not required other than posting on the legislative bulletin boards and the legislature's Internet site, and a schedule of committee activities need not be published.
ar93(4)
(4) All proposals shall be referred to the day's calendar and may be taken up immediately. A calendar need not be provided.
ar93(5)
(5) A motion to postpone a proposal to a day or time certain may not be allowed.
ar93(6)
(6) All motions to reconsider shall be taken up immediately unless a different time is set by vote of a majority of the members present and voting for a specific motion to reconsider.
ar93(7)
(7) All motions to advance a proposal to its 3rd reading and all motions to message a proposal to the other house may be adopted by a majority of the members present and voting.
ar94
Assembly Rule 94. Content, format, and style of rules and manual. ar94(1)(1)
The assembly manual shall be composed of pamphlets containing the assembly rules, the joint rules, the session schedule, the state constitution, alphabetical indexes, and other information approved by the speaker or the committee on assembly organization. Whenever directed to do so by the speaker or the committee on assembly organization, the chief clerk shall recompile and republish any pamphlet part. In recompiling the assembly manual or any pamphlet thereof, the chief clerk shall make spelling and other minor corrections and shall consult with the legislative reference bureau to make any references to provisions of the constitution, statutes, joint rules, or assembly rules conform to the numbers assigned to the provisions.
ar94(2)
(2) Spelling and capitalization in the assembly rules shall follow the style of the Wisconsin statutes.
ar94(3)(a)(a)
Within one week after the adoption of any resolution significantly changing the assembly rules, the chief clerk shall direct the reproduction of a new pamphlet incorporating the entire text of the assembly rules as affected by the resolution unless, in the judgment of the speaker, additional rule changes may soon be agreed to by the members. Each pamphlet edition shall contain a revised table of contents and index prepared by the legislative reference bureau.
ar94(3)(b)
(b) The chief clerk shall supervise the production of the book of the assembly rules for insertion into the assembly manual.
ar94(3)(c)
(c) As directed by the chief clerk, any resolution amending the assembly rules may be engrossed and may be duplicated for distribution.
Chapter 12:
MISCELLANEOUS
ar95
Assembly Rule 95. Definitions. The following are definitions of the major terms used in the assembly rules or traditionally used in deliberations on the floor.
ar95(1)
(1) Act: A bill that has passed both houses of the legislature, been enrolled, and been approved by the governor or passed over the governor's veto, or that becomes law without the signature of the governor, and published.
ar95(2)
(2) Adjourn: To conclude a legislative day's business [see also sub. (79)]. ar95(3)
(3) Adoption: Approval of a motion, amendment, substitute amendment, simple resolution, or joint resolution.
ar95(4)
(4) Amendment: A suggested alteration in any proposal, often referred to as a simple amendment in distinction to a substitute amendment intended to take the place of the proposal.
ar95(5)
(5) Appeal: A member's challenge of a ruling on a point of order. To prevail, an appeal requires the support of a majority of the members present.
ar95(6)
(6) Assembly chamber: The entire area west of the easternmost doors of the assembly, including the visitor's galleries, lobbies, offices of the speaker and minority leader, and hallways.
ar95(7)
(7) Bill: A proposed change of law originating in either house, requiring passage by one house and concurrence of the other house of the legislature and approval of the governor, or passage notwithstanding the objections of the governor by a two-thirds vote in each house, or that becomes law without the signature of the governor, before becoming effective.
ar95(8)
(8) Calendar: The assembly agenda for any legislative day.
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