Chapter 7:
GENERAL RULES OF DEBATE
ar55m
Assembly Rule 55m. Scheduling time limits for floor debate. ar55m(1)(1) Before the committee on rules establishes a calendar for any session day, the majority leader and the minority leader shall meet to adopt reasonable recommendations for time limits and schedules for floor debate for each proposal on the proposed calendar for that day. If the majority leader and the minority leader reach agreement, the committee on rules shall include the time limits and schedules for floor debate for each proposal in the recommendations on the calendar for that day. If the majority leader and the minority leader do not reach agreement, the committee on rules shall establish time limits and schedules for floor debate for each proposal in the recommendations on the calendar for that day. The schedules and time limits shall be announced by the presiding officer before floor consideration of each proposal.
ar55m(2)
(2) The presiding officer shall ensure that time limits and schedules established under sub. (1) are strictly enforced. ar56
Assembly Rule 56. Recognition. ar56(1)(1)
Any member who desires to speak in debate or submit any matter to the assembly shall rise in his or her assigned place and respectfully address the presiding officer. Upon being recognized, the member shall confine his or her remarks to the question before the assembly and shall avoid personalities. A member may be recognized or addressed only by the number of the member's district or by the county or municipality in which the member resides.
ar56(2)
(2) When 2 or more members rise at the same time, the presiding officer shall announce the order that the members may speak. Any such decision is final.
ar56(3)
(3) All efforts to be recognized shall be through the presiding officer, including recognition to ask a question or secure the floor from a member addressing the assembly.
ar56(4)
(4) The presiding officer is not required to recognize any member who is in violation of rule
26 (9).
ar57
Assembly Rule 57. Interruptions. ar57(1)(1)
Once a member has been recognized and has the floor, the member may speak without interruption unless questions arise that require immediate consideration. Such questions are:
ar57(1)(a)
(a) A question of assembly privilege [rule 61 (1)]. ar57(1)(b)
(b) A question of personal privilege [rule 61 (2)]. ar57(1)(c)
(c) Raising a point of order and appeals therefrom [rule 62]. ar57(1)(d)
(d) Raising a question of quorum [rule 30]. ar57(1)(e)
(e) Rising to make a parliamentary inquiry.
ar57(1)(f)
(f) Rising to ask whether the member who has the floor will yield to a proper question. The member who has the floor may yield to a proper question even if the member obtained the floor for the purpose of making a motion or raising a question that is not debatable.
ar57(1)(g)
(g) Calling for a special order of business [rule 32]. ar57(1)(h)
(h) Requesting a division of the question [rule 80]. ar57(2)
(2) At the conclusion of any interruption under sub. (1), the floor returns to the interrupted member unless the question on which the member was speaking is no longer before the assembly.
ar58
Assembly Rule 58. Calling a member to order. ar58(1)(1)
During debate, a member may question the orderliness of the remarks made by another member or whether the other member, in the manner of discussion or conduct, has violated the rules of the assembly.
ar58(2)
(2) When the presiding officer calls a member to order, the member may not speak, except in explanation, until it is determined whether or not the member is in order.
ar58(3)
(3) When the orderliness of remarks made by a member is questioned under sub. (1) based on the alleged use of improper or disorderly language, the member questioning the orderliness, upon the request of the presiding officer, shall give the presiding officer a written statement containing the specific words to which exception has been taken, thus enabling the presiding officer better to be able to judge whether the words spoken were in violation of the assembly rules.
ar59
Assembly Rule 59. Conduct during debate. Unless permission is given by unanimous consent or the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present, a member may not:
ar59(1)
(1) Speak when not in his or her assigned place.
ar59(2)
(2) Speak more than twice on the same question, even if the question is continued to another day.
ar59(3)
(3) Display documents or exhibits or read aloud from documents other than from the proposal under debate or any amendment thereto, or from any statute, session law, constitutional provision, assembly rule, or joint rule directly related to the proposal or its amendments.
ar60
Assembly Rule 60. Debate on delayed calendars. ar60(1)(1)
Whenever the assembly has one or more calendars pending of a later date than the calendar on which the assembly is working, debate is limited, as follows:
ar60(1)(a)
(a) A member may not speak for more than 5 minutes on any question.
ar60(1)(b)
(b) A question may not be considered for more than 20 minutes.
ar60(2)
(2) The limitations under sub. (1) do not apply to proposals made a special order of business by the adoption of a resolution offered by the committee on rules.
ar61
Assembly Rule 61. Questions of privilege. Questions of privilege are under the immediate control of the presiding officer and the assembly. Such questions pertain to the rights, integrity, and safety of the assembly collectively, to the rights, reputation, or conduct of members of the assembly in their representative capacity, or to the conduct of government in general.
ar61(1)
(1) “Assembly privilege": With recognition by the presiding officer, any member may raise and discuss a question pertaining to the safety, dignity, decorum, comfort, rights, organization, or officers of the assembly that requires immediate attention.
ar61(2)
(2) “Personal privilege": With recognition by the presiding officer, any member may rise to explain a personal matter that affects the rights, reputation, and conduct of the member in his or her representative capacity. A pending question may not be discussed in the explanation.
ar61(3)
(3) “Special privilege": Any member desiring to make a statement on a matter other than one of assembly or personal privilege may rise and, with recognition by the presiding officer and within any time limits determined by the presiding officer or the assembly, may discuss any subject relative to state or local government, the conduct of public officials in relation to their official duties, or other matters concerning the public welfare, or any question pertaining to the rights of the assembly collectively, its safety, dignity, or the integrity of its proceedings.
ar61(4)(a)(a)
A member may raise a question of assembly or personal privilege at any time. Questions of assembly privilege take precedence over questions of personal privilege and both take precedence over all other questions except a motion to adjourn, a call of the assembly, a motion to lift a call of the assembly, or a motion to recess.
ar61(4)(b)
(b) Questions of special privilege may not be raised when any matter is under consideration by the assembly.
ar61(5)
(5) Questions of assembly or personal privilege have precedence only insofar as they require immediate consideration and are not dilatory.
ar61(6)
(6) Once a question of privilege is before the assembly, it is subject to debate and to all proper motions. When the question of privilege has been disposed of, the business of the assembly is resumed at the point at which it was interrupted.
ar62
Assembly Rule 62. Points of order and appeals. ar62(1)(1)
A member may raise a point of order at any time except while a motion to adjourn is before the assembly.
ar62(2)
(2) A member may not speak more than once on any point of order.
ar62(3)
(3) The presiding officer may speak on points of order in preference to others and may:
ar62(3)(a)
(a) Immediately announce and explain a ruling on a point of order that has been raised; or
ar62(3)(b)
(b) Defer such ruling by taking a point of order under advisement.
1. When the point of order concerns a proposal or a question currently pending on such proposal, taking the point of order under advisement removes the proposal from further consideration until the presiding officer announces the ruling on the point of order.
2. When the point of order concerns an amendment, taking the point of order under advisement removes from further consideration until a ruling on the point of order is made only the specific amendment.
3. When the point of order concerns an amendment to an amendment, taking the point of order under advisement removes from further consideration until a ruling on the point of order is made only the amendment to the amendment, except that the original amendment is also removed from further consideration once all other amendments to the amendment have been disposed of.
4. All points of order involving amendments, or amendments to amendments, must be disposed of before the assembly proceeds to any question of lesser precedence (see rule 65).
ar62(3m)
(3m) The presiding officer shall rule on a point of order within 7 legislative days after the point of order is raised or on the final legislative day of the last general-business floorperiod preceding the veto review session, whichever is earlier.
ar62(4)
(4) A point of order is timely only if raised before the question it concerns is decided.
ar62(5)
(5) A point of order questioning the validity of a senate action on a proposal before the assembly is not in order.
ar62(6)
(6) Any member may appeal a ruling of the presiding officer on any point of order. When an appeal is made, the question is: “Shall the decision of the chair stand as the decision of the assembly?"
ar62(7)
(7) Appeals are debatable and are decided by a majority of the members present and voting on a roll call vote. The presiding officer may vote on appeals.
Chapter 8:
MOTIONS AND OTHER ACTIONS DURING DEBATE
ar63
Assembly Rule 63. Putting a motion. When a motion is made, it shall be stated by the presiding officer or read by the chief clerk before debate.
ar64
Assembly Rule 64. Seconding. Whenever a requested action is required to be seconded, immediately after the request is made the presiding officer shall ask if there are sufficient seconds. Any member wishing to be a second shall then stand in his or her assigned place until counted. The presiding officer shall count the seconds and immediately announce whether or not there are sufficient seconds for the request to be granted by the assembly.
ar65
Assembly Rule 65. Privileged and subsidiary motions and requests during debate. ar65(1)(1)
When a main question is under debate the following privileged motions and requests are in order if appropriate under the rules governing motions, requests, and proposals:
ar65(1)(a)
(a) To suspend the rules [rule 90]. ar65(1)(b)
(b) To request a call of the assembly [rule 83]. ar65(1)(c)
(c) To adjourn [rule 70]. ar65(1)(d)
(d) To adjourn to a fixed time [rule 70]. ar65(1)(e)
(e) To lift a call of the assembly [rule 87]. ar65(1)(f)
(f) To recess.
ar65(1)(g)
(g) To raise a question of assembly privilege [rule 61 (1)]. ar65(1)(h)
(h) To raise a question of personal privilege [rule 61 (2)]. ar65(1)(i)
(i) To offer and ask consideration of a privileged resolution [rules 33 and 43]. ar65(2)
(2) When a main question is under debate the following subsidiary motions are in order if appropriate under the rules governing motions and proposals:
ar65(2)(a)
(a) To lay on or take from the table [rule 74]. ar65(2)(b)
(b) To end debate [rule 71]. ar65(2)(c)
(c) To postpone to a day or time certain [rule 72]. ar65(2)(d)
(d) To refer to a standing committee [rule 72]. ar65(2)(e)
(e) To refer to a special committee [rule 72]. ar65(2)(f)
(f) To revive an amendment [rule 18 (3)]. ar65(2)(g)
(g) To amend, if the proposal or motion is amendable [rules 52 to 55 and 70 (2) and (4)].
