The Illinois General Assembly offers the Google Translate™ service for visitor convenience. In no way should it be considered accurate as to the translation of any content herein.
Visitors of the Illinois General Assembly website are encouraged to use other translation services available on the internet.
The English language version is always the official and authoritative version of this website.
NOTE: To return to the original English language version, select the "Show Original" button on the Google Translate™ menu bar at the top of the window.
093_HR0012
LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4 the following are adopted as the Rules of the House of
5 Representatives of the Ninety-third General Assembly:
6 ARTICLE I
7 ORGANIZATION
8 (House Rule 1)
9 1. Election of the Speaker.
10 (a) At the first meeting of the House of each General
11 Assembly, the Secretary of State shall convene the House at
12 12:00 noon, designate a Temporary Clerk of the House, and
13 preside during the nomination and election of the Speaker.
14 As the first item of business each day before the election of
15 the Speaker, the Secretary of State shall order the Temporary
16 Clerk to call the roll of the members to establish the
17 presence of a quorum as required by the Constitution. If a
18 majority of those elected are not present, the House shall
19 stand adjourned until the next calendar day, excepting
20 weekends, at the hour prescribed in Rule 29. If a quorum of
21 members elected is present, the Secretary of State shall then
22 call for nominations of members for the Office of Speaker.
23 All nominations require a second. When the nominations are
24 completed, the Secretary of State shall direct the Temporary
25 Clerk to call the roll of the members to elect the Speaker.
26 (b) The election of the Speaker requires the affirmative
27 vote of a majority of those elected. Debate is not in order
28 following nominations and preceding or during the vote.
29 (c) No legislative measure may be considered and no
30 committees may be appointed or meet before the election of
31 the Speaker.
32 (d) When a vacancy in the Office of Speaker occurs, the
-2- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 foregoing procedure shall be employed to elect a new Speaker;
2 when the Secretary of State is of a political party other
3 than that of the majority caucus, however, the Majority
4 Leader shall preside during the nomination and election of
5 the successor Speaker. No legislative measures, other than
6 for the nomination and election of a successor Speaker, may
7 be considered by the House during a vacancy in the Office of
8 Speaker.
9 (House Rule 2)
10 2. Election of the Minority Leader.
11 (a) The House shall elect a Minority Leader in a manner
12 consistent with the laws of Illinois. The Minority Leader is
13 the leader of the numerically strongest political party other
14 than the party to which the Speaker belongs.
15 (b) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
16 vote of 71 members elected.
17 (House Rule 3)
18 3. Majority and Minority Leadership.
19 (a) The Speaker and the Minority Leader shall appoint
20 from within their respective caucuses the members of the
21 Majority and Minority Leaderships as allowed by law.
22 (b) Appointments are effective upon being filed with the
23 Clerk and remain effective at the pleasure of the Speaker and
24 Minority Leader, respectively, or until a vacancy occurs by
25 reason of resignation or because a leader has ceased to be a
26 Representative. Successor leaders shall be appointed in the
27 same manner as their predecessors. Leaders have those powers
28 delegated to them by the Speaker or Minority Leader, as the
29 case may be.
30 (House Rule 4)
31 4. The Speaker.
-3- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (a) The Speaker has those powers conferred upon him or
2 her by the Constitution, the laws of Illinois, and any
3 motions or resolutions adopted by the House or jointly by the
4 House and Senate.
5 (b) Except as otherwise provided by law, the Speaker is
6 the chief administrative officer of the House and has those
7 powers necessary to carry out those functions. The Speaker
8 may delegate administrative duties as he or she deems
9 appropriate.
10 (c) The duties of the Speaker include the following:
11 (1) To preside at all sessions of the House,
12 although the Speaker may call on any member to preside
13 temporarily as Presiding Officer.
14 (2) To open the session at the time at which the
15 House is to meet by taking the chair and calling the
16 members to order. The Speaker may call on any member to
17 open the session as Presiding Officer.
18 (3) To announce the business before the House in
19 the order upon which it is to be acted. The Presiding
20 Officer shall perform this duty during the period that he
21 or she is presiding.
22 (4) To recognize those members entitled to the
23 floor.
24 (5) To state and put to a vote all questions that
25 are regularly moved or that necessarily arise in the
26 course of the proceedings, and to announce the result of
27 the vote.
28 (6) To preserve order and decorum.
29 (7) To decide all points of order, subject to
30 appeal, and to speak on these points in preference to
31 other members.
32 (8) To inform the House when necessary, or when any
33 question is raised, on any point of order or practice
34 pertinent to the pending business.
-4- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (9) To sign or authenticate all acts, proceedings,
2 or orders of the House. All writs, warrants, and
3 subpoenae issued by order of the House, or any of its
4 committees, shall be signed by the Speaker and attested
5 by the Clerk.
6 (10) To sign all bills passed by both chambers of
7 the General Assembly to certify that the procedural
8 requirements for passage have been met.
9 (11) To have general supervision, including the
10 duty to protect the security and safety, of the House
11 Chamber, galleries, and adjoining and connecting hallways
12 and passages, including the power to clear them when
13 necessary. The House Chamber shall not be used without
14 permission of the Speaker.
15 (12) To have general supervision of the Clerk and
16 his or her assistants, the Doorkeeper and his or her
17 assistants, the majority caucus staff, the
18 parliamentarians, and all employees of the House except
19 the minority caucus staff.
20 (13) To determine the number of majority caucus
21 members and minority caucus members to be appointed to
22 all committees, except the Rules Committee created by
23 Rule 15, the Committee on Conflicts of Interest created
24 by Rule 71, and those committees that may be created
25 under Article XII of these Rules.
26 (14) To appoint all Chairpersons, Co-Chairpersons,
27 and Vice-Chairpersons of committees (from either the
28 majority or minority caucus), and to appoint all majority
29 caucus members of committees.
30 (15) To enforce all constitutional provisions,
31 statutes, rules, and regulations applicable to the House.
32 (16) To guide and direct the proceedings of the
33 House subject to the control and will of the members.
34 (17) To direct the Clerk to correct non-substantive
-5- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 errors in the Journal.
2 (18) To assign meeting places and meeting times to
3 committees and subcommittees.
4 (19) To perform any other duties assigned to the
5 Speaker by these House Rules or jointly by the House and
6 Senate.
7 (20) To decide, subject to the control and will of
8 the members, all questions relating to the priority of
9 business.
10 (21) To issue, in cooperation with the Comptroller
11 and after clearance with the United States Internal
12 Revenue Service, written regulations covering
13 administration of contingent expense allowances of
14 members of the House.
15 (22) To appoint one or more parliamentarians to
16 serve at the pleasure of the Speaker.
17 (d) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
18 vote of 71 members elected.
19 (House Rule 5)
20 5. Powers and Duties of the Minority Leader.
21 (a) The Minority Leader has those powers conferred upon
22 him or her by the Constitution, the laws of Illinois, and any
23 motions or resolutions adopted by the House or jointly by the
24 House and Senate.
25 (b) The Minority Leader shall appoint to all committees
26 the members from the minority caucus and shall designate a
27 Minority Spokesperson for each committee, except that the
28 Speaker may appoint a minority caucus member to be
29 Chairperson of a standing committee or Chairperson or
30 Co-Chairperson of a special committee.
31 (c) The Minority Leader has general supervision of the
32 minority caucus staff.
-6- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (House Rule 6)
2 6. Clerk of the House.
3 (a) The House shall elect a Clerk, who may adopt
4 appropriate policies or procedures for the conduct of his or
5 her office. The Speaker is the final arbiter of any dispute
6 arising in connection with the operation of the Office of the
7 Clerk.
8 (b) The duties of the Clerk include the following:
9 (1) To have custody of all bills, papers, and
10 records of the House, which shall not be taken out of the
11 Clerk's custody except in the regular course of business
12 in the House.
13 (2) To endorse on every original bill and each copy
14 its number, the names of sponsors, the date of
15 introduction, and the several orders taken on it. When
16 reproduced, the names of the sponsors shall appear on the
17 front page of the bill in the same order they appeared
18 when introduced.
19 (3) To cause each bill to be reproduced and placed
20 on the desks of the members as soon as it is reproduced,
21 as provided in Rule 39.
22 (4) To keep the Journal of the proceedings of the
23 House and, under the direction of the Speaker, correct
24 errors in the Journal.
25 (5) To keep the transcripts of the debates of the
26 House and make them available to the public under
27 reasonable conditions.
28 (6) To keep the necessary records for the House and
29 its committees and to prepare the House Calendar for each
30 legislative day.
31 (7) To examine all House Bills and Constitutional
32 Amendment Resolutions following Second Reading and before
33 final passage for the purpose of correcting any
34 non-substantive errors, and to report the same back to
-7- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 the Speaker promptly; to supervise the enrolling and
2 engrossing of bills and resolutions, subject to the
3 direction of the Speaker; and to attest to the passage or
4 adoption of legislative measures, and to note thereon the
5 date of final House action. Any corrections made by the
6 Clerk and approved by the Speaker shall be entered on the
7 Journal.
8 (8) To transmit bills, other documents, and
9 messages to the Senate and secure a receipt therefor, and
10 to receive from the Senate bills, other documents, and
11 messages and give receipt therefor.
12 (9) To file with the Secretary of State debate
13 transcripts and House documents as required by law.
14 (10) To attend every session of the House; record
15 the roll; and read all bills, resolutions, and other
16 papers as directed by the Speaker. Bills shall be read
17 by title only.
18 (11) To supervise the Assistant Clerk, the
19 Doorkeeper, pages, messengers, committee clerks, and
20 other employees of his or her office.
21 (12) To establish the format for all documents,
22 forms, and committee records and tapes prepared by
23 committee clerks.
24 (13) Subject to approval by the Speaker, to
25 establish standards of decorum and other standards
26 regarding written statements filed under Rule 53.
27 (14) To perform other duties assigned by the
28 Speaker.
29 (House Rule 7)
30 7. Assistant Clerk of the House. The House shall, in a
31 manner consistent with the laws of Illinois, elect an
32 Assistant Clerk, who shall perform those duties assigned by
33 the Clerk.
-8- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (House Rule 8)
2 8. Doorkeeper. The House shall elect a Doorkeeper who
3 shall perform those duties assigned by law, or as ordered by
4 the Speaker, Presiding Officer, or Clerk. Those duties shall
5 include the following:
6 (1) To attend the House during its sessions and
7 execute the commands of the Speaker or Presiding Officer.
8 (2) To maintain order among spectators admitted
9 into the House Chamber, galleries, and adjoining or
10 connecting hallways and passages.
11 (3) To take proper measures to prevent interruption
12 of the House.
13 (4) To remove unruly persons from the House
14 Chamber, galleries, and adjoining and connecting hallways
15 and passages.
16 (5) To ensure that only authorized persons have
17 access to the House Chamber, galleries, and adjoining
18 hallways and passages, subject to the direction of the
19 Speaker.
20 (6) To supervise any Assistant Doorkeepers.
21 (7) To perform other duties assigned by the
22 Speaker.
23 (House Rule 9)
24 9. Schedule.
25 (a) The Speaker shall periodically establish a schedule
26 of days on which the House shall convene in regular,
27 perfunctory, and veto session, with that schedule subject to
28 revision at the discretion of the Speaker.
29 (b) The Speaker may schedule or reschedule deadlines at
30 his or her discretion for any action on any category of
31 legislative measure as the Speaker deems appropriate,
32 including deadlines for the following legislative actions:
33 (1) Final day to request bills from the Legislative
-9- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 Reference Bureau.
2 (2) Final day for introduction of bills.
3 (3) Final day for standing committees of the House
4 to report House bills, except House appropriation bills.
5 (4) Final day for standing committees of the House
6 to report House appropriation bills.
7 (5) Final day for Third Reading and passage of
8 House bills, except House appropriation bills.
9 (6) Final day for Third Reading and passage of
10 House appropriation bills.
11 (7) Final day for standing committees of the House
12 to report Senate appropriation bills.
13 (8) Final day for standing committees of the House
14 to report Senate bills, except appropriation bills.
15 (9) Final day for special committees to report to
16 the House.
17 (10) Final day for Third Reading and passage of
18 Senate appropriation bills.
19 (11) Final day for Third Reading and passage of
20 Senate bills, except appropriation bills.
21 (12) Final day for consideration of joint action
22 motions and conference committee reports.
23 (c) The Speaker may schedule or reschedule any necessary
24 deadlines for legislative action during any special session
25 of the House. The Speaker may establish a Weekly Order of
26 Business or a Daily Order of Business setting forth the date
27 and approximate time at which specific legislative measures
28 may be considered by the House. The Weekly Order of Business
29 or Daily Order of Business is effective upon being filed by
30 the Speaker with the Clerk and takes the place of the
31 standing order of business for the amount of time necessary
32 for its completion. Nothing in this Rule, however, limits
33 the Speaker's or Presiding Officer's powers under Rule
34 4(c)(3) or Rule 43(a).
-10- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (d) The foregoing deadlines, or any revisions to those
2 deadlines, are effective upon being filed by the Speaker with
3 the Clerk. The Clerk shall journalize those deadlines.
4 (e) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
5 vote of 71 members elected.
6 ARTICLE II
7 COMMITTEES
8 (House Rule 10)
9 10. Committees.
10 (a) The committees of the House are: (i) the standing
11 committees listed in Rule 11; (ii) the special committees
12 created under Rule 13; (iii) subcommittees created by
13 standing committees or by special committees; (iv) the Rules
14 Committee created under Rule 15; (v) the Committee on
15 Conflicts of Interest created under Rule 71; (vi) the
16 Election Contest or Qualifications Challenge Committees, if
17 any, created under Article X; and (vii) any committees
18 created under Article XII. Subcommittees may not create
19 subcommittees.
20 (b) Except as otherwise provided in this Rule, all
21 committees, except special committees created under Rule 13,
22 shall have a Chairperson and Minority Spokesperson, who may
23 be of the same political party. Special committees created
24 under Rule 13 that have Co-Chairpersons from different
25 political parties shall not have a Minority Spokesperson.
26 Each committee may have a Vice-Chairperson appointed by the
27 Speaker. Committees of the Whole shall consist of all
28 Representatives. The number of majority caucus members and
29 minority caucus members of all committees, except the Rules
30 Committee created under Rule 15, the Committee on Conflicts
31 of Interest created under Rule 71, and any committees that
32 may be created under Article XII, shall be determined by the
-11- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 Speaker. The Speaker shall file a notice with the Clerk
2 setting forth the number of majority caucus and minority
3 caucus members of each committee, which shall be journalized.
4 A member may be temporarily replaced on a committee due to
5 illness or if the member is otherwise unavailable. All
6 leaders are non-voting ex-officio members of each standing
7 committee and each special committee, except that the leaders
8 may also be appointed to standing committees or special
9 committees as voting members. The Speaker may also appoint
10 any member of the majority caucus, and the Minority Leader
11 may appoint any member of the minority caucus, as a
12 non-voting ex-officio member of any standing committee or
13 special committee.
14 (c) The Chairperson of a committee has the authority to
15 call the committee to order, designate the order in which
16 bills and resolutions posted for hearing shall be taken up,
17 order a record vote to be taken on each legislative measure
18 called for a vote, preserve order and decorum during
19 committee meetings, establish procedural rules (subject to
20 approval by the Speaker) governing the presentation and
21 consideration of legislative measures, and generally
22 supervise the affairs of the committee. The Vice-Chairperson
23 of a committee or other member of the committee from the
24 majority caucus may preside over its meetings in the absence
25 or at the direction of the Chairperson. In the case of
26 special committees with Co-Chairpersons from different
27 political parties, the "Chairperson" for purposes of this
28 Rule is the Co-Chairperson from the majority caucus.
29 (d) A vacancy on a committee, or in the position of
30 Chairperson, Co-Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, or Minority
31 Spokesperson on a committee, exists when a member resigns
32 from the position or ceases to be a Representative.
33 Resignations shall be made in writing to the Clerk, who shall
34 promptly notify the Speaker and Minority Leader. Absent
-12- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 concurrence by a majority of those elected, except as
2 otherwise provided in Rule 15 and except in connection with
3 temporary replacements under Rule 10(b), no member who
4 resigns from a committee shall be re-appointed to that
5 committee for the remainder of the term. Replacement members
6 shall be of the same political party as that of the member
7 who resigns, and shall be appointed in the same manner as the
8 original appointment, except that in the case of the
9 resignation of a Chairperson or Co-Chairperson, the
10 replacement member need not be from the same political party.
11 In the case of vacancies on subcommittees that were created
12 by committees, the parent committee shall fill the vacancy in
13 the same manner as the original appointment.
14 (e) The Chairperson of a committee has the authority to
15 call meetings of that committee, subject to the approval of
16 the Speaker. In the case of special committees with
17 Co-Chairpersons from different political parties, the
18 Co-Chairperson from the majority caucus has the authority to
19 call meetings of the special committee, subject to the
20 approval of the Speaker. Except as otherwise provided by
21 these Rules, committee meetings shall be convened in
22 accordance with Rule 21.
23 (f) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
24 vote of 71 members elected.
25 (House Rule 11)
26 11. Standing Committees. The Standing Committees of the
27 House are as follows:
28 AGING
29 AGRICULTURE & CONSERVATION
30 APPROPRIATIONS-ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION
31 APPROPRIATIONS-GENERAL SERVICES
32 APPROPRIATIONS-HIGHER EDUCATION
33 APPROPRIATIONS-HUMAN SERVICES
-13- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 APPROPRIATIONS-PUBLIC SAFETY
2 COMMERCE & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
3 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
4 CONSUMER PROTECTION
5 ELECTIONS & CAMPAIGN REFORM
6 ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION
7 ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY
8 EXECUTIVE
9 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
10 HEALTH CARE AVAILABILITY & ACCESS
11 HIGHER EDUCATION
12 HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT
13 HUMAN SERVICES
14 INSURANCE
15 JUDICIARY I-CIVIL LAW
16 JUDICIARY II-CRIMINAL LAW
17 JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM
18 LABOR
19 LOCAL GOVERNMENT
20 PERSONNEL & PENSIONS
21 PUBLIC UTILITIES
22 REGISTRATION & REGULATION
23 REVENUE
24 STATE GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
25 TRANSPORTATION & MOTOR VEHICLES
26 VETERANS' AFFAIRS
27 (House Rule 12)
28 12. Members and Officers of Standing Committees. The
29 members of each standing committee shall be appointed for the
30 term by the Speaker and the Minority Leader. The Speaker
31 shall appoint the Chairperson (from either the majority or
32 minority caucus) and the remaining standing committee members
33 of the majority caucus (one of whom the Speaker may designate
-14- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 as Vice-Chairperson), and the Minority Leader shall appoint
2 the remaining standing committee members of the minority
3 caucus (one of whom the Minority Leader may designate as
4 Minority Spokesperson). Appointments are effective upon the
5 delivery of appropriate correspondence from the respective
6 leader to the Clerk, regardless of whether the House is in
7 session, and shall remain effective for the duration of the
8 term, subject to Rule 10(d). The Clerk shall journalize the
9 appointments. Committees may conduct business when a
10 majority of the total number of committee members has been
11 appointed.
12 (House Rule 13)
13 13. Special Committees.
14 (a) The following Special Committees are created:
15 GAMING
16 TOURISM
17 The Speaker may create additional special committees by
18 filing a notice of the creation of the special committee with
19 the Clerk. The notice creating an additional special
20 committee shall specify the subject matter of the special
21 committee and the number of members to be appointed.
22 (b) The Speaker shall determine the number of majority
23 and minority caucus members to be appointed to special
24 committees in accordance with Rule 10(b). The Speaker, at
25 his or her discretion, shall appoint a Chairperson or
26 Co-Chairpersons. The Speaker may appoint any member as a
27 Chairperson or Co-Chairperson of a special committee. If the
28 Chairperson or Co-Chairperson is a member of the majority or
29 minority leadership or the Chairperson or Minority
30 Spokesperson of a standing committee, the member shall
31 receive no additional stipend or compensation for serving as
32 Chairperson or Co-Chairperson of the special committee. For
33 purposes of Section 1 of the General Assembly Compensation
-15- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 Act (25 ILCS 115/1), (i) a special committee under these
2 rules is considered a "select committee" and (ii) one
3 Co-Chairperson of a special committee shall be considered
4 "Chairman" and the other shall be considered "Minority
5 Spokesman". The appointed members of special committees shall
6 be designated by the Speaker and the Minority Leader in a
7 like manner as provided in Rule 12 with respect to standing
8 committees, except that if the special committee has
9 Co-Chairpersons from different political parties, the special
10 committee shall not have a Minority Spokesperson. In that
11 case, the Minority Leader shall appoint the minority caucus
12 members to the special committee, except the Co-Chairperson
13 from the minority caucus who shall be appointed by the
14 Speaker. The Speaker may establish a reporting date during
15 the term for each special committee by filing a notice of the
16 reporting date with the Clerk. Unless an earlier date is
17 specified by the notice, special committees expire at the end
18 of the term.
19 (c) Special committees are empowered to conduct business
20 when a majority of the total number of committee members has
21 been appointed.
22 (d) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
23 vote of 71 members elected.
24 (House Rule 14)
25 14. Subcommittees.
26 (a) The Chairperson of a standing committee or a special
27 committee may create a subcommittee by filing a notice with
28 the Clerk and the committee clerk. The number of majority
29 caucus and minority caucus members to be appointed to a
30 subcommittee shall be determined by the Committee
31 Chairperson, and filed with the Clerk and the committee
32 clerk. In the case of special committees with
33 Co-Chairpersons from different political parties, the
-16- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 creation of subcommittees and the number of majority caucus
2 and minority caucus members to be appointed to the
3 subcommittee shall be determined by the Co-Chairperson from
4 the majority caucus. Members of subcommittees must be members
5 of the parent committee, and shall be appointed in the manner
6 determined by the committee Chairperson, or in the case of
7 special committees with Co-Chairpersons from different
8 political parties, by the Co-Chairperson from the majority
9 caucus.
10 The notice creating a subcommittee shall specify the
11 subject matter of the subcommittee and the number of members
12 to be appointed, and may specify a reporting date during the
13 term. Unless an earlier date is specified by the notice,
14 subcommittees expire at the end of the term.
15 (b) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
16 vote of 71 members elected.
17 (House Rule 15)
18 15. Rules Committee.
19 (a) The Rules Committee is created as a permanent
20 committee. The Rules Committee shall consist of 5 members, 3
21 appointed by the Speaker and 2 appointed by the Minority
22 Leader. The Speaker and the Minority Leader are each
23 eligible to be appointed to the Rules Committee. The Rules
24 Committee may conduct business when a majority of the total
25 number of its members has been appointed.
26 (b) The majority caucus members of the Rules Committee
27 shall serve at the pleasure of the Speaker, and the minority
28 caucus members shall serve at the pleasure of the Minority
29 Leader. Appointments shall be by notice filed with the
30 Clerk, and shall be effective for the balance of the term or
31 until a replacement appointment is made, whichever first
32 occurs. Appointments take effect upon filing with the Clerk,
33 regardless of whether the House is in session.
-17- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 Notwithstanding any other provision of these Rules, any
2 Representative who is replaced on the Rules Committee may be
3 re-appointed to the Rules Committee without concurrence of
4 the House.
5 (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of these Rules,
6 the Rules Committee may meet upon reasonable public notice
7 that includes a statement of the subjects to be considered.
8 All legislative measures pending before the Rules Committee
9 are eligible for consideration at any of its meetings, and
10 all of those legislative measures are deemed posted for
11 hearing by the Rules Committee for all of its meetings.
12 (d) Upon concurrence of a majority of those appointed,
13 the Rules Committee may advance any legislative measure
14 pending before it to the House, without referral to another
15 committee; the Rules Committee, however, shall not so report
16 any bill that has never been before a standing committee or a
17 special committee of the House.
18 (e) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
19 vote of 71 members elected.
20 (House Rule 16)
21 16. Referrals of Resolutions and Reorganization Orders.
22 (a) All resolutions, except adjournment resolutions and
23 resolutions considered under subsection (b) or (c) of this
24 Rule, after being initially read by the Clerk, are
25 automatically referred to the Rules Committee, which may
26 thereafter refer any resolution before it to the House or to
27 a standing committee or special committee. No resolution,
28 except adjournment resolutions and resolutions considered
29 under subsection (b) or (c) of this Rule, may be considered
30 by the House unless referred to the House by the Rules
31 Committee under Rule 18, or by a standing committee or
32 special committee. An adjournment resolution is subject to
33 Rule 66.
-18- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (b) Any member may file a congratulatory resolution for
2 consideration by the House. The Principal Sponsor of each
3 congratulatory resolution shall pay a reasonable fee,
4 determined by the Clerk with the approval of the Speaker, to
5 offset the actual cost of producing the congratulatory
6 resolution. The fee may be paid from the office allowance
7 provided by Section 4 of the General Assembly Compensation
8 Act, or from any other funds available to the member. Upon
9 agreement of the Speaker and the Minority Leader,
10 congratulatory resolutions may be immediately considered and
11 adopted by the House without referral to the Rules Committee.
12 Those resolutions may be adopted as a group by a single
13 motion. Congratulatory resolutions shall be entered on the
14 Journal only by number, sponsorship, and subject. The
15 provisions of this subsection requiring the Principal Sponsor
16 to pay a reasonable fee may not be suspended.
17 (c) Death resolutions in memory of former members of the
18 General Assembly and former constitutional officers, upon
19 introduction, may be immediately considered by the House
20 without referral to the Rules Committee. Those resolutions
21 shall be entered on the Journal in full.
22 (d) Executive reorganization orders of the Governor
23 issued under Article V, Sec. 11 of the Constitution, upon
24 being read into the record by the Clerk, are automatically
25 referred to the Rules Committee for its referral to a
26 standing committee or a special committee, which may issue a
27 recommendation to the House with respect to the Executive
28 Order. The House may disapprove of an Executive Order only by
29 resolution adopted by a majority of those elected; no such
30 resolution is in order until a standing committee or a
31 special committee has reported to the House on the executive
32 reorganization, or until the Executive Order has been
33 discharged under Rule 58.
-19- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (House Rule 17)
2 17. Sponsorship by the Rules Committee. The Rules
3 Committee may consider any legislative measure referred to it
4 under these Rules, by motion or resolution, or by order of
5 the Presiding Officer upon initial reading. The Rules
6 Committee may, with the concurrence of a majority of those
7 appointed, sponsor motions or resolutions; notwithstanding
8 any other provision of these Rules, any motion or resolution
9 sponsored by the Rules Committee may be immediately
10 considered by the House without referral to a committee. Any
11 such motion or resolution shall be assigned standard debate
12 status, subject to Rule 52.
13 (House Rule 18)
14 18. Referrals to Committees.
15 (a) All House Bills and Senate Bills, after being
16 initially read by the Clerk, are automatically referred to
17 the Rules Committee.
18 (b) During odd-numbered years, the Rules Committee shall
19 thereafter refer any such bill before it to a standing
20 committee or a special committee within 3 legislative days.
21 During even-numbered years, the Rules Committee shall refer
22 to a standing committee or a special committee only
23 appropriation bills implementing the budget and bills deemed
24 by the Rules Committee, by the affirmative vote of a majority
25 appointed, to be of an emergency nature or to be of
26 substantial importance to the operation of government. This
27 subsection (b) applies equally to House Bills and Senate
28 Bills introduced into or received by the House.
29 (c) A standing committee or a special committee may
30 refer a subject matter or a legislative measure pending in
31 that committee to a subcommittee of that committee.
32 (d) All legislative measures favorably reported by a
33 standing committee or a special committee, or discharged from
-20- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 a standing committee or a special committee under Rule 58,
2 shall be referred to the House and placed on the appropriate
3 order of business, which shall appear on the daily calendar.
4 All legislative measures, except bills or resolutions on the
5 Consent Calendar, bills or resolutions assigned short debate
6 status by a standing committee or special committee, and
7 floor amendments, so referred are automatically assigned
8 standard debate status, subject to Rule 52.
9 (e) All floor amendments, joint action motions for final
10 action, conference committee reports, and motions to table
11 committee amendments, upon filing with the Clerk, are
12 automatically referred to the Rules Committee. The Rules
13 Committee may refer any floor amendment, joint action motion
14 for final action, conference committee report, or motion to
15 table a committee amendment to the House or to a standing
16 committee or a special committee for its review and
17 consideration (in those instances, and notwithstanding any
18 other provision of these Rules, the standing committee or
19 special committee may hold a hearing on and consider those
20 legislative measures pursuant to a one-hour advance notice).
21 Any floor amendment, joint action motion for final action,
22 conference committee report, or motion to table a committee
23 amendment that is not referred to the House by the Rules
24 Committee is out of order, except that any floor amendment,
25 joint action motion for final action, conference committee
26 report, or motion to table a committee amendment favorably
27 approved by a standing committee or a special committee is
28 deemed referred to the House by the Rules Committee for
29 purposes of this Rule. All joint action motions for final
30 action, conference committee reports and motions to table
31 committee amendments so referred are automatically assigned
32 standard debate status, subject to Rule 52. Floor amendments
33 referred to the House under this Rule are automatically
34 assigned amendment debate status.
-21- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (f) The Rules Committee may at any time refer or
2 re-refer a legislative measure from a committee to a
3 Committee of the Whole or to any other committee.
4 (g) Legislative measures may be discharged from the
5 Rules Committee only by unanimous consent of the House. Any
6 bill discharged from the Rules Committee shall be placed on
7 the order of Second Reading and assigned standard debate
8 status, subject to Rule 52.
9 (h) Except for those provisions that require unanimous
10 consent, this Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
11 vote of 71 members elected.
12 (House Rule 19)
13 19. Re-Referrals to the Rules Committee.
14 (a) All legislative measures that fail to meet the
15 applicable deadline established under Rule 9 for reporting to
16 the House by a standing committee or a special committee, for
17 Third Reading and passage, or for consideration of joint
18 action motions and conference committee reports are
19 automatically re-referred to the Rules Committee unless: (i)
20 the deadline has been suspended or revised by the Speaker,
21 with re-referral to the Rules Committee to occur if the bill
22 has not been reported to the House in accordance with a
23 revised deadline; or (ii) the Rules Committee has issued a
24 written exception to the Clerk with respect to a particular
25 bill before the reporting deadline, with re-referral to
26 occur, if at all, in accordance with the written exception.
27 (b) All legislative measures pending before the House or
28 any of its committees are automatically re-referred to the
29 Rules Committee on the 31st consecutive day that the House
30 has not convened for session unless: (i) any deadline
31 applicable to the bill or resolution that has been designated
32 by the Speaker under Rule 9 exceeds 31 days, with re-referral
33 to occur, if at all, in accordance with that deadline; (ii)
-22- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 this Rule is suspended under Rule 67; or (iii) the Rules
2 Committee, by the affirmative vote of a majority appointed,
3 issues a written exception to the Clerk before that 31st day.
4 (House Rule 20)
5 20. Reporting by Committees. Committees shall report to
6 the House, and subcommittees shall report to their parent
7 committees.
8 (House Rule 21)
9 21. Notice.
10 (a) Except as provided in Rule 18 or unless this Rule is
11 suspended under Rule 67, no standing committee or special
12 committee may consider or conduct a hearing with respect to a
13 legislative measure absent notice first being given as
14 follows:
15 (1) The Chairperson of the committee, or the
16 Co-Chairperson from the majority caucus of a special
17 committee, shall, no later than 6 days before any
18 proposed hearing, post a notice on the House bulletin
19 board identifying each legislative measure, other than a
20 committee amendment upon initial consideration under Rule
21 40, that may be considered during that hearing. The
22 notice shall contain the day, hour, and place of the
23 hearing.
24 (2) Meetings of the Rules Committee may be called
25 under Rule 15; meetings of the standing committees and
26 special committees to consider floor amendments, joint
27 action motions for final consideration, conference
28 committee reports, and motions to table committee
29 amendments may be called under Rule 18.
30 (3) The Chairperson, or Co-Chairperson from the
31 majority caucus of a special committee, shall, in advance
32 of a committee hearing, notify all Principal Sponsors of
-23- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 legislative measures posted for that hearing of the date,
2 time, and place of hearing. When practical, the Clerk
3 shall include a notice of all scheduled hearings,
4 together with all posted bills and resolutions, in the
5 Daily Calendar of the House. Regardless of whether a
6 particular legislative measure or subject matter has been
7 posted for hearing, it is in order for a committee during
8 any of its meetings to refer a subject matter or
9 legislative measure pending before it to a subcommittee
10 of that committee.
11 (b) Other than the Rules Committee, no committee may
12 meet during any session of the House, and no commission
13 created by Illinois law that has legislative membership may
14 meet during any session of the House.
15 (c) Regardless of whether notice has been previously
16 given, it is always in order for a committee to table any
17 legislative measure pending before it when the Principal
18 Sponsor so requests.
19 (d) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
20 vote of 71 members elected.
21 (House Rule 22)
22 22. Committee Procedure.
23 (a) A committee may consider any legislative measure
24 referred to it, except as provided in subsection (b), and may
25 make with respect to that legislative measure one of the
26 following reports to the House or to the parent committee, as
27 appropriate:
28 (1) that the bill "do pass";
29 (2) that the bill "do not pass";
30 (3) that the bill "do pass as amended";
31 (4) that the bill "do not pass as amended";
32 (5) that the resolution "be adopted";
33 (6) that the resolution "be not adopted";
-24- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (7) that the resolution "be adopted as amended";
2 (8) that the resolution "be not adopted as
3 amended";
4 (9) that the floor amendment, joint action motion,
5 conference committee report, or motion to table a
6 committee amendment referred by the Rules Committee "be
7 adopted";
8 (10) that the floor amendment, joint action motion,
9 conference committee report, or motion to table a
10 committee amendment referred by the Rules Committee "be
11 not adopted";
12 (11) "without recommendation"; or
13 (12) "tabled".
14 Any of the foregoing reports may be made only upon the
15 concurrence of a majority of those appointed. All
16 legislative measures reported "do pass", "do pass as
17 amended", "be adopted", or "be adopted as amended" are
18 favorably reported to the House. Except as otherwise provided
19 by these Rules, any legislative measure referred or
20 re-referred to a committee and not reported under this Rule
21 shall remain in that committee.
22 (b) No bill or committee amendment that provides for an
23 appropriation of money from the State Treasury may be
24 considered by an Appropriations Committee unless the bill or
25 committee amendment is limited to appropriations to a single
26 department, office, or institution; this provision does not
27 apply to floor amendments, joint action motions, or
28 conference committee reports.
29 No bill that provides for an appropriation of money from
30 the State Treasury may be considered for passage by the House
31 unless it has first been favorably reported by an
32 Appropriations Committee or:
33 (1) the bill was discharged from an Appropriations
34 Committee under Rule 58;
-25- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (2) the bill was exempted from this requirement by
2 a majority of those appointed to the Rules Committee; or
3 (3) this Rule was suspended under Rule 67.
4 (c) The Chairperson of each committee, or Co-Chairperson
5 from the majority caucus of a special committee, shall keep,
6 or cause to be kept, a record in which there shall be
7 entered:
8 (1) The time and place of each meeting of the
9 committee.
10 (2) The attendance of committee members at each
11 meeting.
12 (3) The votes cast by the committee members on all
13 legislative measures acted on by the committee.
14 (4) The "Record of Committee Witness" forms
15 executed by each person appearing or registering in each
16 committee meeting, which shall include identification of
17 the witness, the person, group, or firm represented by
18 appearance and the capacity in which the representation
19 is made (if the person is representing someone other than
20 himself or herself), his or her position on the
21 legislation under consideration, and the nature of his or
22 her desired testimony.
23 (5) A tape recording of the proceedings.
24 (6) Such additional information as may be requested
25 by the Clerk.
26 (d) The committee Chairperson, or the Co-Chairperson
27 from the majority caucus of a special committee, shall file
28 with the Clerk, along with every bill or resolution reported
29 upon, a written report containing such information as
30 required by the Clerk. The Clerk may adopt forms, policies,
31 and procedures with respect to the preparation, filing, and
32 maintenance of the reports.
33 (e) When a committee fails to report a legislative
34 measure pending before it to the House, or when a committee
-26- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 fails to hold a public hearing on a legislative measure
2 pending before it, the exclusive means to bring that
3 legislative measure directly before the House for its
4 consideration is as provided in Rule 18 or Rule 58.
5 (f) No bill or resolution may be called for a vote in a
6 standing committee or special committee in the absence of the
7 Principal Sponsor. The Chairperson of a committee or a chief
8 co-sponsor may present a bill or resolution in committee with
9 the approval of the Principal Sponsor when the committee
10 consents. In the case of special committees with
11 Co-Chairpersons from different political parties, the
12 "Chairperson" means the Co-Chairperson from the majority
13 caucus. This subsection may not be suspended.
14 (g) No bill or resolution may be voted on more than
15 twice in any committee on motions to report the bill or
16 resolution favorably, or to reconsider the vote by which the
17 committee adopted a motion to report the bill or resolution
18 unfavorably. A bill or resolution having failed to receive a
19 favorable recommendation after 2 such record votes shall be
20 automatically reported with the appropriate unfavorable
21 recommendation.
22 (h) A bill or resolution shall be given short debate
23 status by report of the committee if the bill or resolution
24 was favorably reported by a three-fifths vote of the members
25 present. Bills and resolutions receiving favorable reports
26 may be placed upon the Consent Calendar as provided in Rule
27 42.
28 (i) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
29 vote of 71 members elected.
30 (House Rule 23)
31 23. Witnesses, Oaths, and Subpoenae.
32 (a) Standing committees may administer oaths and may
33 compel, by subpoena, any person to appear and give testimony
-27- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 as a witness before the standing committee and produce
2 papers, documents, and other materials relating to a
3 legislative measure pending before the standing committee.
4 (b) Special committees may administer oaths and may
5 compel, by subpoena, any person to appear and give testimony
6 before the special committee and produce papers, documents,
7 and other materials relating to the subject matter for which
8 the special committee was created or relating to a
9 legislative measure pending before the special committee.
10 (c) A committee of the whole may administer oaths and
11 may compel, by subpoena, any person to appear and give
12 testimony before the committee of the whole and produce
13 papers, documents, and other materials relating to the
14 subject matter for which the committee of the whole was
15 created or relating to a legislative measure pending before
16 the committee of the whole.
17 (d) Oaths may be administered under this Rule by the
18 Presiding Officer or by the Chairperson of a committee or any
19 person sitting in his or her stead.
20 (e) Subpoenae issued under this Rule must be issued and
21 signed by the Chairperson of the committee and must comply
22 with Rule 4(c)(9).
23 (f) In the case of special committees with
24 Co-Chairpersons from different political parties, the term
25 "Chairperson" for purposes of this Rule means the
26 Co-Chairperson from the majority caucus.
27 (g) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
28 vote of 71 members elected.
29 (House Rule 24)
30 24. Committee Reports.
31 (a) All bills favorably reported to the House from a
32 committee, or with respect to which a committee has been
33 discharged, shall be reported to the House and shall be
-28- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 placed on the order of Second Reading and assigned standard
2 debate status, subject to Rule 52. Bills reported to the
3 House from committee "do not pass", "do not pass as amended",
4 "without recommendation", or "tabled" shall lie on the table.
5 (b) All floor amendments, joint action motions for final
6 action, conference committee reports, and motions to table
7 committee amendments favorably reported from a standing
8 committee or special committee shall be referred to the House
9 and eligible for consideration when the House is on an
10 appropriate order of business. Amendments to bills that are
11 not on the order of Second Reading are out of order. All
12 floor amendments, joint action motions for final action,
13 conference committee reports, and motions to table committee
14 amendments that are reported to the House from committee "be
15 not adopted", "without recommendation", or "tabled" shall lie
16 on the table. When the Rules Committee refers a floor
17 amendment, joint action motion for final action, conference
18 committee report, or motion to table a committee amendment to
19 a standing committee or a special committee that thereafter
20 favorably reports that legislative measure to the House, the
21 legislative measure shall be referred to the House, assigned
22 standard debate status subject to Rule 52 (except floor
23 amendments, which shall be assigned amendment debate status),
24 and eligible for consideration when the House is on an
25 appropriate order of business.
26 (c) All resolutions favorably reported to the House from
27 the Rules Committee, a standing committee, or a special
28 committee, or with respect to which the committee has been
29 discharged, shall be referred to the House and placed on the
30 order of Resolutions and assigned standard debate status,
31 subject to Rule 52. All resolutions that are reported to the
32 House from committee "be not adopted", "be not adopted as
33 amended", "without recommendation", or "tabled" shall lie on
34 the table. Floor amendments to resolutions are subject to
-29- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 the same procedure applicable to floor amendments to bills.
2 (House Rule 25)
3 25. Suspension of Posting Requirements.
4 (a) A motion to suspend the posting requirements of Rule
5 21 must be in writing, specifying the committee and the bills
6 or resolutions to which the motion applies, be carried on the
7 calendar before it may be taken up by the House, and adopted
8 by the affirmative vote of 60 members elected. The calendar
9 requirements of this Rule may be suspended only by unanimous
10 consent. The requirement that the motion be in writing may
11 not be suspended.
12 (b) Except for those provisions that may not be
13 suspended or that require unanimous consent, this Rule may be
14 suspended only by the affirmative vote of 71 members elected.
15 (House Rule 26)
16 26. Rights of the Public.
17 (a) If a bill or resolution has been properly set for
18 hearing and witnesses are present and wish to testify, the
19 committee shall hear the witnesses at the scheduled time and
20 place.
21 (b) Any person wishing to offer testimony to a committee
22 hearing of a bill or resolution shall be given a reasonable
23 opportunity to do so, orally or in writing. The Chairperson
24 may set time limits for presentation of oral testimony. No
25 testimony in writing is required of any witness, but any
26 witness may submit a statement in writing for the committee
27 record. All persons offering testimony shall complete a
28 "Record of Committee Witness" form and submit it to the
29 committee clerk before testifying. In the case of special
30 committees with Co-Chairpersons from different political
31 parties, the "Chairperson" means the Co-Chairperson from the
32 majority caucus.
-30- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (c) A motion to foreclose further oral testimony by
2 witnesses on a matter before a committee may be adopted only
3 by a three-fifths majority of those voting on the motion. No
4 such motion is in order until both proponents and opponents
5 requesting to be heard have been given a fair and substantial
6 opportunity to express their positions. No one shall be
7 prohibited from filing for the record "Record of Committee
8 Witness" forms or written statements while the matter is
9 before the committee.
10 (d) Meetings of committees and subcommittees shall be
11 open to the public. Committee meetings of the House may be
12 closed to the public if two-thirds of the members elected to
13 the House determine, by a record vote, that the public
14 interest so requires.
15 (e) This Rule cannot be suspended retroactively.
16 (House Rule 27)
17 27. Smoking. Smoking is prohibited at any official
18 committee hearing, and no committee member, staff member, or
19 member of the public is permitted to smoke in the room in
20 which the hearing is being held.
21 ARTICLE III
22 CONDUCT OF BUSINESS
23 (House Rule 28)
24 28. Sessions of the House.
25 (a) The House is in session whenever it convenes in
26 perfunctory session, regular session, veto session, or
27 special session. Members are entitled to per diem expense
28 reimbursements only on those regular, veto, and special
29 session days that they are in attendance at the House.
30 Attendance by members is not required or recorded on
31 perfunctory session days.
-31- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (b) Regular and veto session days shall be scheduled
2 with notice by the Speaker under Rule 9. Special session days
3 shall be scheduled in accordance with the Constitution and
4 laws of Illinois.
5 (c) The Speaker may schedule perfunctory session days
6 during which the Clerk may read into the House record any
7 legislative measure. Committees may meet and may consider and
8 act upon legislative measures during a perfunctory session
9 day, and the Clerk may receive and read committee reports
10 into the House record during a perfunctory day. Except for
11 automatic referral under these Rules, no further action may
12 be taken by the House with respect to a legislative measure
13 during a perfunctory session day.
14 (House Rule 29)
15 29. Hour of Meeting. Unless otherwise ordered by the
16 Speaker or Presiding Officer or as provided in Rule 1, the
17 House shall regularly convene at 12:30 p.m. on the first day
18 of each week that the House convenes in regular, veto, or
19 special session and shall convene at noon on all other days.
20 (House Rule 30)
21 30. Access to the House Floor.
22 (a) Except as otherwise provided in these Rules, only
23 the following persons shall be admitted to the House while it
24 is in session: members and officers of the General Assembly;
25 elected officers of the executive branch; justices of the
26 Supreme Court; the designated aide to the Governor, except as
27 limited by the Speaker; the parliamentarian; majority staff
28 members and minority staff members, except as limited by the
29 Speaker or Presiding Officer; former members, except as
30 limited by the Speaker or prohibited under subsection (d);
31 and employees of the Legislative Reference Bureau, except as
32 limited by the Speaker. Representatives of the press, while
-32- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 the House is in session, may have access to the galleries and
2 places allotted to them by the Speaker. No person is
3 entitled to the floor unless appropriately attired. Only
4 members of the General Assembly may use telephones at the
5 members' desks or in the telephone booths at the rear of the
6 House Chamber. Smoking is prohibited on the floor of the
7 House and in the House galleries.
8 (b) On days during which the House is in session, the
9 Doorkeeper shall clear the floor of all persons not entitled
10 to access to the floor 15 minutes before the convening time,
11 and the Doorkeeper shall enforce all other provisions of this
12 Rule.
13 (c) The Speaker may authorize the admission to the floor
14 of any other person, except as prohibited under subsection
15 (d).
16 (d) No person who is directly or indirectly interested
17 in defeating or promoting any pending legislative measure, if
18 required to be registered as a lobbyist, shall be allowed
19 access to the floor of the House at any time during the
20 session.
21 (e) When he or she deems it necessary for the
22 preservation of order, the Presiding Officer may by order
23 remove any person from the floor of the House. A
24 Representative may be removed from the floor only under
25 Article XI or XII of these Rules.
26 (House Rule 31)
27 31. Standing Order of Business. Unless otherwise
28 determined by the Presiding Officer, the standing daily order
29 of business of the House is as follows:
30 (1) Call to Order, Invocation, Pledge of
31 Allegiance, and Roll Call.
32 (2) Approval of the Journal.
33 (3) Reading of House Bills a first time.
-33- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (4) Reports from committees, with reports from the
2 Rules Committee ordinarily made at any time.
3 (5) Presentation of Resolutions, Petitions, and
4 Messages.
5 (6) Introduction of House Bills.
6 (7) Messages from the Senate, not including reading
7 Senate Bills a first time.
8 (8) Reading of House Bills a second time.
9 (9) Reading of House Bills a third time.
10 (10) Reading of Senate Bills a third time.
11 (11) Reading of Senate Bills a second time.
12 (12) Reading of Senate Bills a first time.
13 (13) House Bills on the Order of Concurrence.
14 (14) Senate Bills on the Order of Non-Concurrence.
15 (15) Conference Committee Reports.
16 (16) Motions in Writing.
17 (17) Constitutional Amendment Resolutions.
18 (18) Motions with respect to Vetoes.
19 (19) Consideration of Resolutions.
20 (20) Motions to Discharge Committee.
21 (21) Motions to Take from the Table.
22 (22) Motions to Suspend the Rules.
23 (23) Consideration of Bills on the Order of
24 Postponed Consideration.
25 (House Rule 32)
26 32. Quorum.
27 (a) A majority of those elected constitutes a quorum of
28 the House, and a majority of those appointed constitutes a
29 quorum of a committee, but a smaller number may adjourn from
30 day to day, or recess for less than one day, and compel the
31 attendance of absent members. The attendance of absent
32 members may also be compelled by order of the Speaker.
33 (b) The question of the presence of a quorum in any
-34- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 committee may not be raised on consideration of a legislative
2 measure by the House unless the same question was previously
3 raised before the committee with respect to that legislative
4 measure.
5 (House Rule 33)
6 33. Approval of the Journal. The Speaker or his or her
7 designee shall periodically examine and report to the House
8 any corrections he or she deems should be made in the Journal
9 before it is approved. If those corrections are approved by
10 the House, they shall be made by the Clerk.
11 (House Rule 34)
12 34. Executive Sessions. The sessions of the House shall
13 be open to the public. Sessions and committee meetings of
14 the House may be closed to the public if two-thirds of the
15 members elected determine, by a record vote, that the public
16 interest so requires.
17 (House Rule 35)
18 35. Length of Adjournment. The House, without the
19 consent of the Senate, shall not adjourn for more than 3 days
20 or to a place other than where the 2 chambers of the General
21 Assembly are sitting. The House is in session on any day in
22 which it convenes in perfunctory session, regular session,
23 veto session, or special session.
24 (House Rule 36)
25 36. Transcript of the House. Nothing contained in the
26 official transcript of the House shall be changed or expunged
27 except by written request of a Representative to the Clerk
28 and Speaker, and that request may be approved only by the
29 record vote of 71 members elected.
-35- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 ARTICLE IV
2 BILLS AND AMENDMENTS
3 (House Rule 37)
4 37. Bills.
5 (a) A bill may be introduced in the House by sponsorship
6 of one or more members of the House, whose names shall be on
7 the reproduced copies of the bills, in the House Journal, and
8 in the Legislative Digest. The Principal Sponsor shall be the
9 first name to appear on the bill and may be joined by no more
10 than 4 chief co-sponsors with the approval of the Principal
11 Sponsor; other co-sponsors shall be separated from the
12 Principal Sponsor and any chief co-sponsors by a comma. The
13 Principal Sponsor may change the sponsorship of a bill to
14 that of one or more other Representatives, or to that of the
15 standing committee or special committee to which the bill was
16 referred or from which the bill was reported. Such change
17 may be made at any time the bill is pending before the House
18 or any of its committees by filing a notice with the Clerk.
19 This subsection may not be suspended.
20 (b) The Principal Sponsor of a bill controls that bill.
21 A standing committee-sponsored bill is controlled by the
22 Chairperson of the committee, who for purposes of these Rules
23 is deemed the Principal Sponsor. A special
24 committee-sponsored bill is controlled by the Chairperson, or
25 if Co-Chairpersons have been appointed, by the Co-Chairperson
26 from the majority caucus, who for purposes of these Rules is
27 deemed the Principal Sponsor. Committee-sponsored bills may
28 not have individual co-sponsors.
29 (c) The Senate sponsor of a bill originating in the
30 Senate may request substitute House sponsorship of that bill
31 by filing a notice with the Clerk; such a notice is
32 automatically referred to the Rules Committee and deemed
33 adopted if approved by the Rules Committee. If disapproved
-36- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 by the Rules Committee, the notice shall lie on the table. If
2 the Rules Committee fails to act on a notice, that notice may
3 be discharged by unanimous consent.
4 (d) All bills introduced in the House shall be read by
5 title a first time, ordered reproduced, and automatically
6 referred to the Rules Committee in accordance with Rule 18.
7 When a Senate Bill is received, it shall be read by title,
8 ordered reproduced, and placed on the order of Senate Bills
9 on first reading; after being read a first time, it is
10 automatically referred to the Rules Committee in accordance
11 with Rule 18.
12 (e) All bills introduced into the House shall be
13 accompanied by 9 copies. Any bill that amends a statute
14 shall indicate the particular changes in the following
15 manner:
16 (1) All new matter shall be underscored.
17 (2) All matter that is to be omitted or superseded
18 shall be shown crossed with a line.
19 (f) No bill shall be passed by the House except on a
20 record vote of a majority of those elected, subject to Rule
21 69. A bill that has lost and has not been reconsidered may
22 not thereafter be revived.
23 (House Rule 38)
24 38. Reading and Reproduction of Bills. Every bill shall
25 be read by title on 3 different days before passage by the
26 House, and the bill and all amendments adopted to it shall be
27 reproduced, under Rule 39, before the vote is taken on its
28 final passage.
29 (House Rule 39)
30 39. Reproduction and Distribution. The Clerk shall, as
31 soon as any bill is reproduced, cause the bill to be placed
32 upon the desks of the members. Reproduction and distribution
-37- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 may be done electronically, or the Clerk may establish a
2 method that any member may use to secure a copy of any bill.
3 (House Rule 40)
4 40. Amendments.
5 (a) An amendment to a bill may be adopted by a standing
6 committee or special committee when the bill is before that
7 committee. An amendment to a bill may be adopted by the House
8 when a bill is on the order of Second Reading if: (i) the
9 Rules Committee has referred the floor amendment to the House
10 for consideration under Rule 18; or (ii) a standing committee
11 or special committee has referred the floor amendment to the
12 House. All amendments must be in writing. All committee
13 amendments that have been timely filed, as determined by the
14 Chairperson, shall be considered by the committee or a
15 subcommittee of that committee prior to consideration by the
16 committee of the bill to which the amendment relates. All
17 amendments still pending in a committee upon the passage or
18 defeat of a bill on Third Reading are automatically tabled.
19 (b) Except as otherwise provided in these Rules,
20 committee amendments may be offered only by the Principal
21 Sponsor or a member of the committee while the affected bill
22 is before that committee, and shall be adopted by a majority
23 of those appointed. Floor amendments may be offered only by
24 a Representative while the bill is on the order of Second
25 Reading, subject to Rule 18, and shall be adopted by a
26 majority vote of the House. A committee amendment may be the
27 subject of a motion to "do adopt" or "do not adopt". A
28 committee amendment may be adopted only by a successful
29 motion to "do adopt". The Chairperson of a committee may
30 refer any committee amendment to a subcommittee of that
31 committee.
32 (c) Committee amendments shall be filed with the
33 Chairperson of the committee, and are in order only when
-38- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 sufficient copies have been filed to provide each member of
2 the committee with a copy (which may be done in the same
3 manner as distribution of bills under Rule 39) and 9
4 additional copies for the Chairperson. Floor amendments shall
5 be filed with the Clerk, and are in order only when 9 copies
6 have been filed.
7 (d) The Clerk shall have reproduced all adopted
8 committee amendments that come before the House. The Clerk
9 shall also have reproduced all floor amendments referred to
10 the House by a committee. No floor amendment may be adopted
11 by the House unless it has been reproduced and placed on the
12 members' desks in the same manner as for bills under Rule 39.
13 (e) No floor amendment is in order unless it has been
14 first referred to the House for consideration by the Rules
15 Committee under Rule 18, or by a standing committee or
16 special committee.
17 (f) Amendments that propose to alter any existing law
18 shall conform to the requirements of Rule 37(e).
19 (g) If a committee reports a bill "do pass as amended",
20 the committee amendments are deemed adopted by the committee
21 action and shall be reproduced and placed on the members'
22 desks (which may be done in the same manner as provided for
23 bills under Rule 39) before the bill may be read a second
24 time.
25 (h) In the case of special committees with
26 Co-Chairpersons from different political parties, the
27 "Chairperson" for the purposes of this Rule is the
28 Co-Chairperson from the majority caucus.
29 (House Rule 41)
30 41. Fiscal and Other Notes.
31 (a) The House shall comply with all Illinois laws
32 requiring fiscal or other notes. The notes shall be filed
33 with the Clerk, who shall affix each note with a time stamp
-39- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 endorsing the date and time received, and attached to the
2 original of the bill and available for inspection by the
3 members. As soon as practical, the Clerk shall provide a copy
4 of the note to the Legislative Reference Bureau, which shall
5 provide an informative summary of the note in subsequent
6 issues of the Legislative Digest.
7 (b) No bill authorizing or directing the conveyance by
8 the State of any particular interest in real estate to any
9 individual or entity other than a governmental unit or agency
10 may be voted upon in committee or upon Second Reading unless
11 a certified appraisal of the value of the interest has been
12 filed. The appraisal shall be filed with the clerk of the
13 committee to which the bill is assigned, and shall be part of
14 the permanent committee record, unless the bill is advanced
15 without reference to committee, or discharged under Rule 58,
16 in which event the appraisal shall be filed with the Clerk of
17 the House.
18 (House Rule 42)
19 42. Consent Calendar.
20 (a) The Clerk shall include a Consent Calendar on the
21 daily calendar and designate it as a separate calendar. The
22 Consent Calendar shall contain 3 orders of business: Consent
23 Calendar - Second Reading, Consent Calendar - Third Reading,
24 and Consent Calendar - Resolutions. Within each order of
25 business, bills or resolutions shall be listed in separate
26 groups according to the number of required days each has been
27 on that order of business on the Consent Calendar. No more
28 than 80 bills and resolutions shall be listed in each group.
29 All bills or resolutions to which amendments have been
30 adopted shall be so designated.
31 (b) No debate is in order regarding any item on the
32 Consent Calendar. The Presiding Officer, however, shall
33 allow a reasonable time for questions from the floor and
-40- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 answers to those questions. No amendment from the floor is
2 in order regarding any bill or resolution on the Consent
3 Calendar.
4 (c) A bill on the Consent Calendar shall stand for 2
5 legislative days on the order of Consent Calendar - Second
6 Reading, and for at least 2 legislative days on the order of
7 Consent Calendar - Third Reading, before a vote on the final
8 passage may be taken. Resolutions on the Consent Calendar
9 shall stand for at least 4 legislative days before a vote on
10 adoption may be taken. One record vote on final passage
11 shall be taken on those bills called for final passage.
12 Immediately before a vote on the bills on the Consent
13 Calendar, the Presiding Officer shall call to the attention
14 of the members the fact that the next legislative action will
15 be the vote on the Consent Calendar.
16 (d) A bill or resolution may be placed on the Consent
17 Calendar by report of a standing committee upon a motion
18 adopted by a unanimous vote of the members present. For
19 purposes of this subsection (d), a unanimous vote on the
20 motion is a vote with no member voting nay.
21 (e) No bill regarding revenue or appropriations may be
22 placed on the Consent Calendar. No resolution requiring more
23 than 60 affirmative votes for adoption and no bill requiring
24 more than 60 affirmative votes for passage by the House may
25 be placed on the Consent Calendar.
26 (f) The Speaker and the Minority Leader shall each
27 appoint 3 members who may challenge the presence of any bill
28 or resolution on the Consent Calendar. Before a vote on
29 final passage of any item on the Consent Calendar, an item
30 shall be removed from the Consent Calendar if (i) 4 or more
31 members, (ii) the Principal Sponsor of the bill or
32 resolution, or (iii) one or more of the appointed challengers
33 file with the Clerk written objections to the presence of the
34 bill or resolution on the Consent Calendar. Any bill or
-41- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 resolution so removed may not be placed thereafter on the
2 Consent Calendar during that session of the General Assembly,
3 unless the member or members who objected to the presence of
4 the bill or resolution on the Consent Calendar consent in
5 writing to restoration of the bill or resolution on the
6 Consent Calendar.
7 Any bill removed from the Consent Calendar shall stand on
8 the order of Second Reading with short debate status, subject
9 to Rule 52, and any resolution so removed shall stand on the
10 order of Resolutions with short debate status, subject to
11 Rule 52.
12 (House Rule 43)
13 43. Changing Order of Business.
14 (a) Any order of business may be changed at any time by
15 the Speaker or Presiding Officer.
16 (b) Any order of business may be changed at any time
17 upon the motion of any member, supported by 5 additional
18 members, if the motion is adopted by an affirmative vote of
19 71 members elected.
20 (c) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
21 vote of 71 members elected.
22 (House Rule 44)
23 44. Special Orders; Rules Committee.
24 (a) A special order of business may be set by the Rules
25 Committee or by the Speaker. The Principal Sponsor of a bill
26 or resolution must consent to the placement of the bill or
27 resolution on a special order. A special order shall fix the
28 day to which it applies and the matters to be included. The
29 Speaker, or the Rules Committee by a vote of a majority of
30 the members appointed, may establish time limits for a
31 special order and may establish limitations on debate during
32 a special order (notwithstanding Rule 52), in which event the
-42- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 allotted time shall be fairly divided between proponents and
2 opponents of the legislation to be considered. A special
3 order of business takes the place of the standing order for
4 such time as may be necessary for its completion. Only
5 matters that may otherwise properly be before the House may
6 be included in a special order.
7 (b) A special order shall appear on the Daily Calendar
8 for 3 legislative days. This subsection (b) may be
9 suspended only by the affirmative vote of 71 members elected.
10 (c) A special order may be suspended, amended, or
11 modified by motion adopted by an affirmative vote of 60
12 members. A special order shall be suspended by a written
13 objection signed by 3 members of the Rules Committee and
14 filed during the first legislative day on which the special
15 order appears on the calendar.
16 ARTICLE V
17 RESOLUTIONS AND CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION
18 (House Rule 45)
19 45. Resolutions.
20 (a) A resolution may be introduced in the House by
21 sponsorship of one or more members of the House, and the
22 names of all sponsors shall be included in the House Journal
23 and in the Legislative Digest. Each resolution introduced
24 shall be accompanied by 9 copies. Consideration of
25 resolutions shall be governed by Rule 16 and Rule 66.
26 (b) Any resolution calling for the expenditure of State
27 funds may be adopted only by a record vote of a majority of
28 those elected.
29 (House Rule 46)
30 46. State Constitutional Amendments. All resolutions
31 introduced in the House proposing amendments to the Illinois
-43- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 Constitution shall be reproduced and distributed in the same
2 manner in which bills are reproduced and distributed under
3 Rule 39. Every such resolution that originated in the Senate
4 and is presented to the House shall be ordered reproduced and
5 distributed in like manner. No such resolution shall pass
6 unless read in full in its final form on 3 different days.
7 Amendments are in order only on First Reading and Second
8 Reading. Final passage requires the affirmative vote of 71
9 members elected. No resolution proposing a change in the
10 Constitution of the State of Illinois may be considered for
11 passage after the last day preceding the day marking the
12 beginning of the last 6 months before the general election
13 occurring during the term of this General Assembly, and all
14 such resolutions still pending shall be tabled at the end of
15 business on that day.
16 (House Rule 47)
17 47. Federal Constitutional Amendments and Constitutional
18 Conventions. The affirmative vote of 71 of the members
19 elected is required to adopt any resolution:
20 (1) requesting Congress to call a federal
21 constitutional convention;
22 (2) ratifying a proposed amendment to the
23 Constitution of the United States; or
24 (3) calling a State convention to ratify a proposed
25 amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
26 (House Rule 48)
27 48. Certificates of Recognition. Any member may sponsor
28 a certificate of recognition to be signed by the Speaker and
29 attested by the Clerk to recognize any person, organization,
30 or event worthy of public commendation. The form of the
31 Certificate of Recognition shall be determined by the Clerk
32 with the approval of the Speaker.
-44- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 ARTICLE VI
2 PARLIAMENTARY PRACTICE
3 (House Rule 49)
4 49. Voting. The Presiding Officer shall put all
5 questions distinctly, as follows: "All those in favor vote
6 AYE, and those opposed vote NAY." No member may vote on any
7 question before the House unless on the floor before the vote
8 is announced. No member of a committee may vote except in
9 person at the time of the call of the committee vote. Any
10 vote of the House shall be by record vote whenever 5
11 Representatives shall so request or whenever the Presiding
12 Officer shall so order.
13 (House Rule 50)
14 50. Announcing a Record Vote. When a record vote is
15 requested, the Presiding Officer shall put the question and
16 then announce to the House: "The voting is open." While the
17 vote is being taken, the Presiding Officer shall state: "Have
18 all voted who wish?" The voting is closed when the Presiding
19 Officer announces: "Take the Record." The Presiding
20 Officer, unless an intervening motion to postpone
21 consideration by the Principal Sponsor is made, shall then
22 announce the results of the record vote. After the record is
23 taken, no member may vote, change his or her vote, or remove
24 his or her vote as recorded.
25 (House Rule 51)
26 51. Decorum.
27 (a) When any member is about to speak to the House, he
28 or she shall rise and address the Presiding Officer as
29 "Speaker". The Presiding Officer, upon recognizing the
30 member, shall address him or her by name, and thereupon the
31 engineer in charge of operating the microphones in the House
-45- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 shall give the use of the microphone to the member who has
2 been so recognized. The member in speaking shall confine
3 himself or herself to the subject matter under discussion and
4 avoid personalities.
5 (b) Questions affecting the rights, reputation, and
6 conduct of members of the House in their representative
7 capacity are questions of personal privilege. A matter of
8 personal explanation does not constitute a question of
9 personal privilege.
10 (c) If 2 or more members rise at once, the Presiding
11 Officer shall name the member who is to speak first.
12 (d) No person shall give any signs of approbation or
13 disapprobation while the House is in session.
14 (e) Recognition of guests by any member is prohibited,
15 except that the Speaker or Presiding Officer may recognize an
16 honored guest.
17 (f) While the Presiding Officer is putting a question,
18 no member shall leave or walk across the House Chamber. When
19 a member is addressing the House, no member or other person
20 entitled to the floor shall entertain private discourse or
21 pass between the member speaking and the Presiding Officer.
22 (g) In case of any disturbance or disorderly conduct,
23 the Speaker or Presiding Officer may order that the lobby,
24 gallery, or hallways adjoining the House Chamber be cleared.
25 (h) No literature may be distributed on the House floor.
26 (i) No member may be absent from a session of the House
27 unless he or she has leave or is sick or his or her absence
28 is unavoidable. The switch to the electrical roll call
29 recording equipment located on the desk of any member who has
30 been excused or is absent shall be locked by the Clerk and
31 shall not be unlocked until the member returns and files with
32 the Clerk a request to be shown as present on the quorum roll
33 call.
-46- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (House Rule 52)
2 52. Debate.
3 (a) All legislative measures, except those legislative
4 measures placed on the Consent Calendar under Rule 42, are
5 subject to a debate status as follows:
6 (1) Short Debate: Debate is limited to a 2-minute
7 presentation by the Principal Sponsor or a member
8 designated by the Principal Sponsor, a 2-minute
9 presentation by a member in response, and one minute for
10 the Principal Sponsor to close debate, or yield to other
11 members; provided that at the request of 7 members before
12 the close of debate, the debate status shall be opened to
13 standard debate;
14 (2) Standard Debate: Debate is limited to a
15 5-minute presentation by the Principal Sponsor or a
16 member designated by the Principal Sponsor, debate by
17 each of 2 additional proponents of the legislative
18 measure and by 3 members in response to the legislative
19 measure, and 3 minutes for the Principal Sponsor to close
20 debate, or yield to other members;
21 (3) Extended Debate: Debate is limited to a
22 5-minute presentation by the Principal Sponsor or a
23 member designated by the Principal Sponsor, debate by
24 each of 4 proponents of the legislative measure and 5
25 members in response, and 5 minutes for the Principal
26 Sponsor to close debate, or yield to other members;
27 (4) Unlimited Debate: Debate shall consist of a
28 10-minute presentation by the Principal Sponsor or a
29 member designated by the Principal Sponsor, debate by
30 each proponent and member in response who seeks
31 recognition, and 5 minutes for the Principal Sponsor to
32 close debate, or yield to other members; or
33 (5) Amendment Debate: Debate on floor amendments
34 referred to the House from a committee, or discharged
-47- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 from a committee, is limited to a 3-minute presentation
2 by the Principal Sponsor, or a member designated by the
3 Principal Sponsor, debate by one proponent, debate by
4 each of 2 members in response, and 3 minutes for the
5 Principal Sponsor to close debate, or yield to other
6 members.
7 No debate is in order on bills or resolutions on the
8 order of First Reading or Second Reading, except for debate
9 on floor amendments as provided in this Rule.
10 (b) All legislative measures, except floor amendments,
11 referred to the House from a committee, or discharged from a
12 committee, are automatically assigned standard debate status,
13 subject to subsection (c) of this Rule, except those assigned
14 to the Consent Calendar or short debate status by a standing
15 committee or a special committee. All floor amendments
16 referred to the House from a committee, or discharged from a
17 committee, are automatically assigned amendment debate
18 status, subject to subsection (c) of this Rule.
19 (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of these Rules
20 to the contrary, the debate status of any legislative measure
21 may be changed only (i) by the Speaker, as defined in item
22 (27) of Rule 102, by filing a notice with the Clerk, or (ii)
23 by the Rules Committee by motion approved by a majority of
24 those appointed. While a legislative measure is being
25 considered by the House, the debate status may also be
26 changed by unanimous consent. No legislative measure,
27 however, may be placed on the Consent Calendar under this
28 Rule. No legislative measure, except a floor amendment, may
29 be assigned amendment debate status under this Rule.
30 (d) The Speaker or Rules Committee, as the case may be,
31 shall notify the Clerk of any action to change the debate
32 status of any legislative measure. The Clerk shall cause
33 that information to be reflected on the Daily Calendar on
34 subsequent legislative days, provided the legislative measure
-48- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 is still before the House.
2 (e) No member shall speak longer than 5 minutes at one
3 time or more than once on the same question except by leave
4 of the House. The Principal Sponsor of a measure or a
5 member designated by the Principal Sponsor, however, shall be
6 allowed to open the debate and to close the debate in
7 accordance with subsection (a) of this Rule. The provisions
8 of this subsection (e) are subject to and limited by
9 subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this Rule. A member may
10 yield to another member the time allotted for the member's
11 debate.
12 (f) The Presiding Officer shall allocate the debate on
13 each legislative measure alternately, if possible, between
14 proponents and opponents of the legislative measure under
15 debate.
16 (g) This Rule may not be suspended.
17 (House Rule 53)
18 53. Written Statements.
19 (a) Any member may submit a written statement regarding
20 any bill, resolution, or floor amendment considered by the
21 House, by submitting that statement to the Clerk within one
22 legislative day or 3 business days, whichever is shorter,
23 after the day on which the bill, resolution, or floor
24 amendment to which the comments relate was considered by the
25 House. The Clerk shall affix a time stamp to each statement
26 indicating the date on which the statement was submitted.
27 Each statement shall indicate the member or members on whose
28 behalf the statement is submitted, the bill, resolution, or
29 floor amendment to which it applies, the names of any other
30 members mentioned in the statement, and the person who
31 actually submits the statement to the Clerk. Each member on
32 whose behalf a statement is submitted is under an obligation
33 to ensure that all required information, specifically
-49- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 including the names of any other members mentioned in the
2 statement, is indicated at the time a statement is submitted.
3 Each statement shall comply with standards as may be
4 established by the Clerk with the approval of the Speaker.
5 The standards established by the Clerk, however, shall not
6 relate to the contents of the written statement. The Clerk
7 shall maintain statements that comply with this Rule and
8 established standards in files for each bill and resolution.
9 A statement is not considered filed until the Clerk has
10 determined that it complies with this Rule and established
11 standards. The Clerk shall notify the member or members on
12 whose behalf a statement was submitted if the statement is
13 determined not to comply. Statements filed under this Rule
14 shall be considered part of the transcript and made available
15 to the public.
16 (b) If a statement mentions another member, the
17 statement shall not be considered filed until the member
18 mentioned has an opportunity to respond as a matter of
19 personal privilege. The Clerk shall notify each member who
20 is identified at the time a statement is submitted as being
21 mentioned in the statement. The member identified as
22 mentioned in the statement shall have one legislative day or
23 3 business days, whichever is shorter, after notification by
24 the Clerk in which to file a written response to the
25 statement. The original statement and any responsive
26 statement shall both be considered filed at the close of
27 business on the final day on which a response may be filed.
28 If, however, a statement is submitted mentioning another
29 member and the name of the member mentioned is not indicated
30 to the Clerk at the time of submission, the statement shall
31 be stricken at the request of the member mentioned in the
32 statement. The Clerk shall notify each member on whose
33 behalf the statement was submitted that the statement has
34 been stricken from the record.
-50- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (c) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
2 vote of 71 members elected.
3 (House Rule 54)
4 54. Motions.
5 (a) The following are general rules for all motions:
6 (1) Every motion, except to adjourn, recess, or
7 postpone consideration, shall be reduced to writing if
8 ordered by the Presiding Officer. Unless otherwise
9 provided in these Rules, no second is required to any
10 motion presented to the House, or in any committee. The
11 Presiding Officer may refer any motion to the Rules
12 Committee.
13 (2) Before the House debates a motion, the
14 Presiding Officer shall state an oral motion and the
15 Clerk shall read aloud a written motion. Each motion,
16 unless otherwise provided in these Rules, is assigned
17 standard debate status, subject to Rule 52.
18 (3) After a motion is stated by the Presiding
19 Officer or read by the Clerk, it is deemed in the
20 possession of the House, but may be withdrawn at any time
21 before decision with consent of a majority of the members
22 elected.
23 (4) If a motion is divisible, any member may call
24 for a division of the question.
25 (5) Any question taken under consideration may be
26 withdrawn, postponed, or tabled by unanimous consent or,
27 if unanimous consent is denied, by a motion adopted by a
28 majority of the members elected.
29 (b) The Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
30 vote of 71 members elected.
31 (House Rule 55)
32 55. Precedence of Motions.
-51- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (a) When a question is under debate, no motion may be
2 entertained except:
3 (1) to adjourn to a time certain;
4 (2) to adjourn;
5 (3) to question the presence of a quorum;
6 (4) to recess;
7 (5) to lay on the table;
8 (6) for the previous question;
9 (7) to postpone consideration;
10 (8) to commit or recommit; or
11 (9) to amend, except as otherwise provided in these
12 Rules.
13 The foregoing motions have precedence in the order in
14 which they are listed.
15 (b) During a record vote, no motion (except a motion to
16 postpone consideration) is in order until after the
17 announcement of the result of the vote.
18 (c) A motion to commit or re-commit, until it is
19 decided, precludes all amendments and debate on the main
20 question. A motion to postpone consideration, until it is
21 decided, precludes all amendments and debate on the main
22 question.
23 (House Rule 56)
24 56. Verification.
25 (a) After any record vote, except for a vote that
26 requires a specific number of affirmative votes and that has
27 not received the required votes, and before intervening
28 business, it is in order for any member to request
29 verification of the results of the record vote.
30 (b) In verifying a record vote, the Presiding Officer
31 shall instruct the Clerk to call the names of those members
32 whose votes are to be verified. The member requesting the
33 verification may thereafter identify those members he or she
-52- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 wishes to verify. If a member does not answer, his or her
2 vote shall be stricken; the member's vote shall be restored
3 to the roll, however, if his or her presence is recognized
4 before the Presiding Officer announces the final result of
5 the verification. The Presiding Officer shall determine the
6 presence or absence of each member whose name is called, and
7 shall then announce the results of the verification.
8 (c) While the results of any record vote are being
9 verified, it is in order for any member to announce his or
10 her presence on the floor and thereby have his or her vote
11 verified.
12 (d) A request for a verification of the affirmative and
13 negative results of a record vote may be made only once on
14 each record vote.
15 (House Rule 57)
16 57. Appealing a Ruling.
17 (a) If any appeal is taken from a ruling of the
18 Presiding Officer, the Presiding Officer shall be sustained
19 unless 71 of the members elected vote to overrule the
20 Presiding Officer. Notwithstanding Rule 52, debate on a
21 motion to appeal is limited to a 2-minute presentation by the
22 Principal Sponsor or a member designated by the Principal
23 Sponsor, a 2-minute presentation by a member in response, and
24 one-minute for the Principal Sponsor to close debate, or
25 yield to other members. A motion to appeal is not in order
26 if the House has conducted intervening business since the
27 ruling at issue was made.
28 (b) If any appeal is taken from a ruling of a committee
29 Chairperson, the Chairperson shall be sustained unless
30 three-fifths of those appointed vote to overrule the
31 Chairperson. A motion to appeal is not in order if the
32 committee has adjourned or recessed, or if intervening
33 business has occurred. In the case of special committees
-53- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 with Co-Chairpersons from different political parties, the
2 "Chairperson" for purposes of this Rule is the Co-Chairperson
3 from the majority caucus.
4 (c) In an appeal of a ruling of the Presiding Officer or
5 Chairperson, the question is: "Shall the ruling of the Chair
6 be sustained?"
7 (d) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
8 vote of 71 members elected.
9 (House Rule 58)
10 58. Discharge of Committee.
11 (a) Any member may move that a standing committee or a
12 special committee be discharged from consideration of any
13 legislative measure assigned to it and not reported back
14 unfavorably.
15 (b) The motion must be in writing and shall be carried
16 on the Daily Calendar for the next legislative day under the
17 order of "Motions". No action shall be taken on the motion
18 until it is on the calendar.
19 (c) If the motion receives an affirmative vote of 60
20 members, the legislative measure subject to the motion shall
21 be referred to the House and placed on the appropriate order
22 of business.
23 (d) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
24 vote of 71 members elected.
25 (House Rule 59)
26 59. Previous Question.
27 (a) A motion for the previous question may be made at
28 any time. A motion for the previous question is not
29 debatable and requires the affirmative vote of 60 members
30 elected.
31 (b) The previous question shall be stated in the
32 following form: "Shall the main question be put?" Until the
-54- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 previous question is decided, all amendments and debate are
2 precluded. When it is decided that the main question shall
3 not be put, the main question remains under debate.
4 (c) The effect of the main question being ordered is to
5 put an end to all debate and bring the House to a direct vote
6 on the immediately pending motion. After a motion for the
7 previous question has been approved, unless the vote on that
8 motion suggests the absence of a quorum, it is not in order
9 to move for adjournment or to make any other motion before a
10 decision on the main question.
11 (d) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
12 vote of 71 members elected.
13 (House Rule 60)
14 60. Tabling.
15 (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (d) and
16 (e), a motion to lay on the table applies only to the
17 particular proposition and is neither debatable nor
18 amendable.
19 (b) A motion to table a bill or resolution shall
20 identify the bill or resolution by number. The Principal
21 Sponsor of a bill or resolution may, with leave of the House,
22 table that bill or resolution at any time. A motion to table
23 a committee bill that is before the House may be adopted only
24 by the affirmative vote of a majority of those elected.
25 (c) The Principal Sponsor of a bill or resolution before
26 a committee may, with leave of the committee, table the bill
27 or resolution. Upon tabling, the Chairperson of the
28 committee shall return the bill or resolution to the Clerk,
29 noting thereon that it has been tabled.
30 (d) Motions to table floor amendments are debatable and
31 may be adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of those
32 elected.
33 (e) No motion to table a committee amendment is in order
-55- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 unless it has been first referred to the House for
2 consideration by the Rules Committee under Rule 18, or by a
3 standing or special committee. Motions to table committee
4 amendments are debatable and may be adopted by the
5 affirmative vote of a majority of those elected.
6 (House Rule 61)
7 61. Motion to Take from Table.
8 (a) A motion to take from the table requires the
9 affirmative vote of a majority of those elected if the Rules
10 Committee has previously recommended that action by written
11 notice filed with the Clerk; otherwise, a motion to take from
12 the table requires the affirmative vote of 71 members
13 elected.
14 (b) A bill taken from the table shall be placed on the
15 Daily Calendar on the order on which it appeared before it
16 was tabled.
17 (c) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
18 vote of 71 members elected.
19 (House Rule 62)
20 62. Motion to Postpone Consideration. A motion to
21 postpone consideration on a bill or resolution may not be
22 made more than once on the same bill or resolution. Unless
23 otherwise provided by these Rules, a motion to postpone
24 consideration shall be granted as a matter of privilege; no
25 motion to postpone consideration is in order, however, if the
26 bill or resolution initially received a vote of fewer than 47
27 of the members elected.
28 (House Rule 63)
29 63. Motion on Different Subject. No motion or other
30 legislative measure on a subject different from that under
31 consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment.
-56- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (House Rule 64)
2 64. Division of Question. If the question in debate
3 contains several points, any member may have the question
4 divided. On a motion to strike out and insert, it is not in
5 order to move for a division of the question. The rejection
6 of a motion to strike out and insert one proposition does not
7 prevent a motion to strike out and insert a different
8 proposition.
9 (House Rule 65)
10 65. Reconsideration.
11 (a) A member who voted on the prevailing side of a
12 record vote on a legislative measure still within the control
13 of the House may on the same or the following legislative
14 day move to reconsider the vote. The motion to reconsider
15 may be laid on the table without affecting the vote to which
16 it refers. When the motion to reconsider is made during the
17 last 3 days of April or any time thereafter during the
18 regular session, or at any time during a veto or special
19 session, any member may move that the vote on reconsideration
20 be taken immediately. A question that requires the
21 affirmative vote of a majority of those elected or more to
22 carry requires a majority of those elected to reconsider.
23 (b) A motion to reconsider a record vote on the adoption
24 of an amendment to a bill may be made only on Second Reading.
25 (c) If a motion to reconsider is made under this Rule
26 and the motion is later tabled, the question shall not be
27 further reconsidered. This subsection (c) may be suspended
28 only by the affirmative vote of 71 members elected.
29 (d) When a motion to reconsider is made within the time
30 prescribed by these Rules, the Clerk shall not allow the bill
31 or other subject matter of the motion to pass out of the
32 possession of the House until after the motion has been
33 decided or withdrawn. Such a motion shall be deemed rejected
-57- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 if laid on the table.
2 (e) A Representative who voted "present" or failed to
3 vote on a question does not have the right to move for
4 reconsideration.
5 (f) Upon a motion to reconsider the vote on the final
6 passage of any bill, the affirmative vote of a majority of
7 those elected is required to reconsider.
8 (House Rule 66)
9 66. Motion to Adjourn.
10 (a) A motion to adjourn is in order at any time, except
11 when a prior motion to adjourn has been defeated and no
12 intervening business has transpired.
13 (b) A motion to adjourn is neither debatable nor
14 amendable.
15 (c) The Clerk shall enter in the Journal the hour at
16 which every motion to adjourn is made.
17 (d) Unless the Presiding Officer otherwise orders, the
18 standing hour to which the House adjourns is 12:00 noon,
19 except on the last day of a week in which the House convenes
20 in regular, veto, or special session, in which case the
21 standing hour to which the House adjourns is 12:30 p.m.
22 (e) A motion to adjourn for more than 3 days is not in
23 order unless both chambers of the General Assembly have
24 adopted a joint resolution permitting that adjournment.
25 Notwithstanding any other provision of these Rules, a
26 resolution filed under this Rule may be referred to the Rules
27 Committee by the Presiding Officer or may be immediately
28 considered and adopted by the House.
29 (House Rule 67)
30 67. Adoption and Amendment to or Suspension of Rules.
31 (a) Adoption of Rules. At the commencement of a term,
32 the House shall adopt new rules of organization and procedure
-58- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 by resolution setting forth those rules in their entirety.
2 The resolution must be adopted by the affirmative vote of a
3 majority of those elected. These Rules of the House of
4 Representatives are subject to revision or amendment only in
5 accordance with this Rule.
6 (b) Rules may be amended only by resolution. Any
7 resolution to amend these Rules shall show the proposed
8 changes in the existing rules by underscoring all new matter
9 and by crossing out with a line all matter that is to be
10 omitted or superseded.
11 (c) Any resolution proposing to amend a House Rule or
12 any Joint House-Senate Rule, upon initial reading by the
13 Clerk, is automatically referred to the Rules Committee.
14 Resolutions to amend the House Rules or any Joint
15 House-Senate Rules may be initiated and sponsored by the
16 Rules Committee; those resolutions shall not be referred to a
17 committee and may be immediately considered and adopted by
18 the House. Those resolutions shall be assigned standard
19 debate status, subject to Rule 52.
20 (d) A resolution to amend the House Rules or any Joint
21 House-Senate Rules that has been reported "do adopt" or "do
22 adopt as amended" by a majority of those appointed to the
23 Rules Committee requires the affirmative vote of a majority
24 of those elected for adoption by the House. Any other
25 resolution proposing to amend the House Rules or any Joint
26 House-Senate Rules requires the affirmative vote of 71 of the
27 members elected for adoption by the House.
28 (e) No House Rule or any Joint House-Senate Rule may be
29 suspended except by unanimous consent of the members present
30 or upon a motion supported by affirmative vote of a majority
31 of those elected unless a higher number is required in the
32 Rule sought to be suspended. A committee may not suspend any
33 Rule.
34 (f) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
-59- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 vote of 71 members elected.
2 (House Rule 68)
3 68. Motion to Commit or Recommit. No motion to commit
4 or recommit a legislative measure to committee, being decided
5 in the negative, shall again be allowed on the same day, or
6 at the same stage of the legislative measure.
7 (House Rule 69)
8 69. Effective Date.
9 (a) A bill passed after May 31 of a calendar year shall
10 not become effective prior to June 1 of the next calendar
11 year unless an earlier effective date is specified in the
12 bill and it is approved by the affirmative vote of 71 members
13 elected.
14 (b) If a majority of those elected, but fewer than 71,
15 vote affirmatively for a bill on Third Reading after May 31
16 and the bill specifies an effective date earlier than the
17 following June 1, the bill has not passed, but the Principal
18 Sponsor has the right to have the bill automatically
19 reconsidered and returned to the order of Second Reading for
20 an amendment to remove the earlier effective date. The
21 amendment, if offered and referred to the House by a
22 committee, shall be reproduced and placed on the desks of the
23 members, in the same manner as provided for bills under Rule
24 39, before the bill is taken up again on the order of Third
25 Reading.
26 (House Rule 70)
27 70. Home Rule. No bill denies or limits any power or
28 function of a home rule unit under paragraph (g), (h), (i),
29 (j), or (k) of Sec. 6 of Article VII of the Constitution
30 unless there is specific language limiting or denying the
31 power or function and the language specifically sets forth in
-60- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 what manner and to what extent it is a denial or limitation
2 of the power or function of a home rule unit. If a majority
3 of those elected, but fewer than 71, vote affirmatively for a
4 bill on Third Reading that requires the affirmative vote of
5 71 members elected to deny or limit a power of a home rule
6 unit, the bill has not passed, but the Principal Sponsor has
7 the right to have the bill automatically reconsidered and
8 returned to the order of Second Reading for an amendment to
9 remove those effects of the bill. The amendment, if referred
10 to the House by a committee, shall be reproduced and placed
11 on the desks of the members, in the same manner as provided
12 for bills under Rule 39, before the bill is taken up again on
13 the order of Third Reading.
14 ARTICLE VII
15 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
16 (House Rule 71)
17 71. Conflicts of Interest.
18 (a) A Committee on Conflicts of Interest is created. It
19 shall consist of 4 members appointed by the Speaker and 4
20 members appointed by the Minority Leader. The Speaker shall
21 designate one of the members as Chairperson. The Minority
22 Leader shall designate one of the minority caucus members as
23 Minority Spokesperson. The Committee shall not have a
24 Vice-Chairperson.
25 (b) The Committee shall study the problems of conflicts
26 of interest in relation to the responsibilities of
27 legislators and the laws relating thereto, including the
28 Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. The Committee shall
29 develop guidelines for the conduct of members in regard to
30 conflicts of interest, including procedures for appropriate
31 disclosure of the existence of conflicts. The Committee
32 shall also recommend changes in the law determined to be
-61- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 desirable to assure members appropriate guidance in their
2 conduct. Any report of the Committee shall be filed with the
3 Clerk, who shall reproduce the report and distribute it to
4 each member, in the same manner as provided for bills under
5 Rule 39.
6 ARTICLE VIII
7 JOINT ACTION
8 (House Rule 72)
9 72. Concurring in or Receding from Amendments.
10 (a) If a bill or resolution is received back in the
11 House with one or more amendments added by the Senate, it is
12 in order for the Principal Sponsor to present a motion "to
13 concur" or "not to concur and to ask the Senate to recede"
14 with respect to each, several, or all of those amendments. A
15 motion to concur shall be by record vote and shall be adopted
16 by the affirmative vote of a majority of those elected,
17 subject to Rule 69. Any 2 members may demand a separate vote
18 or a separate record vote, as applicable, on any of those
19 amendments.
20 (b) When the Senate has refused to concur in one or more
21 amendments added to a bill or resolution by the House and has
22 returned the bill or resolution to the House with a message
23 requesting the House to recede from one or more of its
24 amendments, it is in order for the Principal Sponsor to
25 present a motion "to recede" from the House amendments or
26 "not to recede and to request a conference". A motion to
27 recede shall be by record vote and shall be adopted by the
28 affirmative vote of a majority of those elected, subject to
29 Rule 69. Any 2 members may demand a separate vote or a
30 separate record vote, as applicable, on any of those
31 amendments.
-62- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (House Rule 73)
2 73. Conference Committees.
3 (a) A disagreement between the House and Senate exists
4 with respect to any bill or resolution in the following
5 situations:
6 (1) when the Senate refuses to recede from the
7 adoption of any amendment, after the House has previously
8 refused to concur in the amendment; or
9 (2) when the House refuses to recede from the
10 adoption of any amendment, after the Senate has
11 previously refused to concur in the amendment.
12 In those cases of disagreement between the House and
13 Senate, the House may request a conference. When such a
14 request is made, both chambers of the General Assembly shall
15 appoint members to a committee to confer on the subject of
16 the bill or resolution giving rise to the disagreement. The
17 combined membership of the 2 chambers appointed for that
18 purpose is the conference committee.
19 (b) The conference committee shall consist of 5 members
20 from each chamber of the General Assembly. The number of
21 majority caucus members from each chamber shall be one more
22 than the number of minority caucus members from each chamber.
23 (c) Each conference committee shall be comprised of 5
24 members of the House, 3 appointed by the Speaker and 2
25 appointed by the Minority Leader. No conference committee
26 report may be filed with the Clerk until a majority of the
27 House conferees has been appointed.
28 (House Rule 74)
29 74. Conference Committee Reports.
30 (a) No subject matter shall be included in any
31 conference committee report on any bill unless that subject
32 matter directly relates to the matters of difference between
33 the House and Senate that have been referred to the
-63- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 conference committee unless the Rules Committee, by a
2 majority vote of the members appointed, determines that the
3 proposed subject matter is of an emergency nature, is of
4 substantial importance to the operation of government, or is
5 in the best interests of Illinois.
6 (b) No conference committee report shall be received by
7 the Clerk or acted upon by the House unless it has been
8 signed by at least 6 conferees. The report shall be signed in
9 duplicate. One of the reports shall be filed with the
10 Secretary of the Senate and one with the Clerk. The report
11 shall contain the agreements reached by the committee.
12 (c) If the conference committee determines that it is
13 unable to reach agreement, the committee shall so report to
14 each chamber of the General Assembly and request appointment
15 of a second conference committee. If there is agreement, the
16 committee shall so report to each chamber.
17 (d) No conference committee report shall be adopted by
18 the House except on a record vote of a majority of those
19 elected, subject to Rule 69.
20 (House Rule 75)
21 75. House Consideration of Joint Action.
22 (a) No joint action motion for final action or
23 conference committee report may be considered by the House
24 unless it has first been referred to the House by the Rules
25 Committee or a standing committee or special committee in
26 accordance with Rule 18, or unless the joint action motion or
27 conference committee report has been discharged from the
28 Rules Committee under Rule 18. Joint action motions for final
29 consideration and conference committee reports referred to a
30 standing committee or special committee by the Rules
31 Committee may not be discharged from the standing committee
32 or special committee. This subsection (a) may be suspended
33 by unanimous consent.
-64- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (b) No conference committee report may be considered by
2 the House unless it has been reproduced and placed on the
3 members' desks, in the same manner as provided for bills
4 under Rule 39, for one full day during the period beginning
5 with the convening of the House on the 2nd Wednesday of
6 January each year and ending on the 30th day prior to the
7 scheduled adjournment of the regular session established each
8 year by the Speaker pursuant to Rule 9(a), and for one full
9 hour on any other day.
10 (c) Before any conference committee report on an
11 appropriation bill is considered by the House, the conference
12 committee report shall first be the subject of a public
13 hearing by a standing Appropriations Committee or a special
14 committee (the conference committee report need not be
15 referred to an Appropriations Committee or special committee,
16 but instead may remain before the Rules Committee or the
17 House, as the case may be). The hearing shall be held
18 pursuant to not less than one hour advance notice by
19 announcement on the House floor, or one day advance notice by
20 posting on the House bulletin board. An Appropriations
21 Committee or special committee shall not issue any report
22 with respect to the conference committee report following the
23 hearing.
24 (d) Any House Bill amended in the Senate and returned to
25 the House for concurrence in the Senate amendment shall lie
26 upon the desk of the Clerk for not less than one hour before
27 being further considered.
28 (e) No House Bill that is returned to the House with
29 Senate amendments may be called except by the Principal
30 Sponsor, or by a chief co-sponsor with the consent of the
31 Principal Sponsor. This subsection may not be suspended.
32 (f) Except as otherwise provided in Rule 74, the report
33 of a conference committee on a non-appropriation bill or
34 resolution shall be confined to the subject of the bill or
-65- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 resolution referred to the conference committee. The report
2 of a conference committee on an appropriation bill shall be
3 confined to the subject of appropriations.
4 (House Rule 76)
5 76. Action on Conference Committee Reports.
6 (a) Each chamber of the General Assembly shall inform
7 the other by message of any action taken with respect to a
8 conference committee report. Copies of all papers necessary
9 for a complete understanding of the action shall accompany
10 the message. The original bill or resolution shall remain in
11 the chamber of origin.
12 (b) No conference committee report may be called except
13 by the Principal Sponsor of the bill for which the conference
14 committee was appointed. A chief co-sponsor may call a
15 conference committee report with the consent of the Principal
16 Sponsor. This subsection may not be suspended.
17 (c) If either chamber refuses to adopt the report of the
18 conference committee, the report of the conference committee
19 is laid on the table, or the first conference committee is
20 unable to reach agreement, either chamber may request a
21 second conference committee. When such a request is made,
22 each chamber shall again appoint a conference committee. If
23 either chamber refuses to adopt the report of a second
24 conference committee, the 2 chambers shall have adhered to
25 their disagreement, and the bill or resolution is lost.
26 ARTICLE IX
27 VETOES
28 (House Rule 77)
29 77. Recording of Vetoes. Upon the receipt by the House
30 of any bill returned by the Governor under any of the
31 provisions of Article IV, Sec. 9 of the Constitution, the
-66- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 Clerk shall enter the objections of the Governor on the
2 Journal, and shall distribute copies of all veto messages to
3 each member's desk, together with copies of the vetoed bill
4 or item, as soon as practical, in the same manner as for
5 bills under Rule 39.
6 (House Rule 78)
7 78. Amendatory Vetoes.
8 (a) The Principal Sponsor of a bill that has been passed
9 by the General Assembly may request the Clerk to notify the
10 Governor that the Principal Sponsor wishes to be consulted by
11 the Governor or his or her designee before the Governor
12 returns the bill together with specific recommendations for
13 change under subsection (e) of Section 9 of Article IV of the
14 Illinois Constitution.
15 (b) Any bill returned by the Governor together with
16 specific recommendations for change under subsection (e) of
17 Section 9 of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution shall
18 automatically be placed on the Daily Calendar on the order of
19 amendatory vetoes, and shall be considered as provided in
20 this Rule.
21 (c) The Governor's specific recommendations for change
22 with respect to a bill returned under subsection (e) of
23 Section 9 of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution shall be
24 limited to addressing the Governor's objections to portions
25 of a bill the general merit of which the Governor recognizes
26 and shall not alter the fundamental purpose or legislative
27 scheme set forth in the bill as passed.
28 (d) Any motion to accept the Governor's specific
29 recommendations for change shall be automatically referred to
30 the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee shall examine the
31 Governor's specific recommendations for change and determine
32 by a majority of the members appointed whether those
33 recommendations comply with the standard set forth in
-67- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 subsection (c). Any motion to accept specific
2 recommendations for change that the Rules Committee
3 determines are in compliance with subsection (c) of this Rule
4 shall be subject to action by the Rules Committee in the same
5 manner as floor amendments, joint action motions, conference
6 committee reports and motions to table committee amendments
7 under Rule 18(e).
8 (e) Any motion to override the Governor's specific
9 recommendations for change shall not be referred to a
10 committee and may be immediately considered and adopted by
11 the House subject to Rule 80(d).
12 (f) This rule may not be suspended.
13 (House Rule 79)
14 79. Motions to Consider Vetoes. For purposes of this
15 Article, the term "motions" means motions to accept or
16 override a veto of the Governor. Motions with respect to
17 bills returned by the Governor may be made by the Principal
18 Sponsor, the committee Chairperson in the case of a
19 committee-sponsored bill, or if Co-Chairpersons have been
20 appointed, by the Co-Chairperson of the majority caucus in
21 the case of special committee-sponsored bills. Motions shall
22 be filed in writing with the Clerk. Any motion to override a
23 veto of the Governor shall not be referred to a committee and
24 may be immediately considered and adopted by the House
25 subject to Rule 80. All motions shall be assigned standard
26 debate status, subject to Rule 52.
27 (House Rule 80)
28 80. Consideration of Motions.
29 (a) The vote to override a veto of a bill vetoed in its
30 entirety shall be by record vote and shall be entered on the
31 Journal. The form of motion with respect to these bills shall
32 be: "I move that ________ Bill _____ do pass,
-68- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 notwithstanding the veto of the Governor."
2 (b) The vote to override an item veto shall be by record
3 vote as to each item separately and shall be entered on the
4 Journal. The form of motion with respect to an item shall
5 be: "I move that the item on page ____, line ____, of ____
6 Bill _____ do pass, notwithstanding the item veto of the
7 Governor."
8 (c) The vote to override an item reduction veto and
9 restore an item that has been reduced shall be by record vote
10 as to each item separately and shall be entered on the
11 Journal. The form of motion with respect to an item shall
12 be: "I move that the item on page ____, line ____, of ____
13 Bill ____ be restored, notwithstanding the item reduction of
14 the Governor."
15 (d) A bill returned together with specific
16 recommendations of the Governor may be acted upon, by record
17 vote, in either of the following manners:
18 (1) By a motion to accept the specific
19 recommendations of the Governor. The form of motion shall
20 be: "I move to accept the specific recommendations of
21 the Governor as to _____ Bill _____ in manner and form as
22 follows: (inserting herein the language deemed necessary
23 to effectuate the specific recommendations)."; or
24 (2) By considering the bill as a vetoed bill and
25 overriding the recommendation and passing the bill in its
26 original form. The form of motion shall be: "I move
27 that _____ Bill _____ do pass, notwithstanding the
28 specific recommendations of the Governor.".
29 (House Rule 81)
30 81. Vetoed Bills Considered in Entirety. If a bill is
31 returned by the Governor containing more than one item veto,
32 reduction veto, specific recommendation for change, or
33 combination of them, the bill shall be acted upon in its
-69- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 entirety before the bill is released from the custody of the
2 House.
3 (House Rule 82)
4 82. Disposition of Vetoes. When a bill or item has
5 received the affirmative vote of the number of members
6 elected necessary under the Constitution, the Presiding
7 Officer shall declare that the bill or item has been passed
8 or restored over the veto of the Governor, or that the
9 specific recommendations for change have been approved, as
10 the case may be. The bill shall then be attested to by the
11 Clerk who shall note thereon the day the bill passed. The
12 bill and the objections of the Governor shall then be
13 immediately delivered to the Senate. When specific
14 recommendations have been accepted, then the accepting
15 language shall be attached to the original bill, and the bill
16 shall be delivered to the Senate.
17 ARTICLE X
18 ELECTION CONTESTS AND QUALIFICATIONS CHALLENGES
19 (House Rule 83)
20 83. Election Contests and Qualifications Challenges.
21 (a) An election contest places in issue only the
22 validity of the results of an election of a member to the
23 House in a representative district. An election contest may
24 result only in a determination of which candidate in that
25 election was properly elected to the House and shall be
26 seated.
27 (b) A qualifications challenge places in issue only the
28 qualifications of an incumbent member of the House under the
29 Constitution, or the legality of an appointment of a person
30 as a member of the House to fill a vacancy. A qualifications
31 challenge may result only in a determination of whether a
-70- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 member of the House is properly seated.
2 (c) Election contests and qualifications challenges
3 shall be brought and conducted as provided in these Rules.
4 (d) If an election contest or qualifications challenge
5 is filed with the Clerk, the Speaker shall create an Election
6 Contest or Qualifications Challenge Committee, as the case
7 may be, within 3 legislative days by filing a notice with the
8 Clerk. The creation of any committee under this Rule shall
9 be governed by Rule 10. The election contest or
10 qualifications challenge shall be automatically referred to
11 the Election Contest or Qualifications Challenge Committee,
12 as the case may be. For purposes of this Article, the term
13 "committee" means only the Election Contest or Qualifications
14 Challenge Committees created under this Rule. This
15 subsection may not be suspended.
16 (e) The committee may adopt rules to govern election
17 contests and qualifications challenges, but those committee
18 rules must be consistent with these Rules, must be filed with
19 the Clerk, and must be made available to all parties and to
20 the public. Any committee rule shall be subject to
21 amendment, suspension, or repeal by House resolution.
22 (House Rule 84)
23 84. Initiating Election Contests.
24 (a) Election contests may be brought only by a
25 registered voter of the representative district or by a
26 member of the House.
27 (b) Election contests may be brought only by the
28 procedures and within the time limits established by the
29 Election Code. Notice of intention to contest shall be
30 served on the person certified as elected to the House from
31 the representative district within the time limits
32 established by the Election Code. The requirements of this
33 subsection apply to a member of the House appointed to fill a
-71- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 vacancy the same as if that member had been elected to the
2 House.
3 (c) Within 10 days after the convening of the House in
4 January following the general election contested, each
5 contestant shall file with the Clerk a petition of election
6 contest and shall serve the petition on the incumbent member
7 of the House from the representative district. A petition of
8 election contest shall allege the contestant's qualifications
9 to bring the contest and to serve as a member of the House,
10 that he or she believes that a mistake or fraud has been
11 committed in specified precincts in the counting, return, or
12 canvass of the votes, or that there was some other specified
13 irregularity in the conduct of the election in specified
14 precincts. A petition of election contest shall contain a
15 prayer specifying the relief requested and the precincts in
16 which a recount or other inquiry is desired. A petition of
17 election contest shall be verified by affidavit swearing to
18 the truth of the allegations or based upon information and
19 belief, and shall be accompanied by proof of service on all
20 respondents.
21 (d) A notice of intent to contest may not be amended to
22 cure a defect under the statutory requirements. A petition
23 of election contest, if filed and served after the notice of
24 intention to contest, may not raise points not expressed in
25 the notice.
26 (e) The incumbent member of the House from the
27 representative district is a necessary party to the
28 initiation of an election contest.
29 (House Rule 85)
30 85. Initiating Qualifications Challenges.
31 (a) Qualifications challenges may be brought only by a
32 registered voter of the representative district of the
33 representative challenged or by a member of the House.
-72- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (b) Qualifications challenges must be brought within 90
2 days after the day the challenged member takes his or her
3 oath of office as a member of the House, or within 90 days
4 after the day the petitioner first learns of the information
5 on which the challenge is based, whichever occurs later.
6 (c) A qualifications challenge shall be brought by
7 filing a petition of qualifications challenge with the Clerk,
8 and by serving a copy of the petition on the respondent
9 member of the House. The petition must be accompanied by
10 proof of personal service upon the respondent member and must
11 be verified by affidavit swearing to the truth of the
12 allegations or based upon information and belief. A petition
13 of qualifications challenge shall set forth the grounds on
14 which the respondent member is alleged to be constitutionally
15 unqualified, or on which his or her appointment to the House
16 is claimed to be legally improper, the qualifications of the
17 petitioner to bring the challenge, and a prayer for relief.
18 (House Rule 86)
19 86. Contests and Challenges; Due Process.
20 (a) Election contests and challenges shall be heard and
21 determined as expeditiously as possible under adversary
22 procedures wherein each party to the proceedings has a
23 reasonable opportunity to present his or her claim, to
24 present any defense and arguments, and to respond to those of
25 his or her opponents. All parties may be represented by
26 counsel.
27 (b) Election contests and qualifications challenges
28 shall be heard and determined in accordance with the
29 applicable provisions of the Election Code and other Illinois
30 statutes, the Illinois Constitution, and the United States
31 Constitution. Judicial decisions that bear on a point of law
32 in a contest or challenge shall be admissible in the
33 arguments of the parties and the deliberations and decisions
-73- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 of the committee. Judicial decisions applicable to a point
2 of law or to a fact situation to the committee shall be given
3 weight as precedent.
4 (c) In addition to notice of meetings required under
5 these Rules, the committee and any subcommittee shall give
6 notice to all parties reasonably in advance of each meeting
7 or other proceeding. The committee shall also give notice of
8 all rules, timetables, or deadlines adopted by the committee.
9 Notice under this subsection shall be in writing and shall be
10 given either personally with receipt, or by certified mail
11 (return receipt requested) addressed to the party at his or
12 her place of residence, and to his or her attorney of record
13 at the attorney's office if so requested by the party.
14 (House Rule 87)
15 87. Committee Proceedings and Powers in Contests and
16 Challenges.
17 (a) All proceedings of the committee and any
18 subcommittees concerning election contests and qualifications
19 challenges shall be transcribed by a certified court
20 reporter. Copies of the transcript shall be made available
21 to the members of the committee and to the parties.
22 (b) The committee may dismiss an election contest or
23 qualifications challenge, or may determine to proceed to a
24 recount or other inquiry. The committee may limit the issues
25 to be determined in a contest or challenge, except that when
26 a recount is conducted in an election contest, any precinct
27 timely requested by any party to be recounted shall be
28 recounted by the committee.
29 (c) In conducting inquiries, investigations, and
30 recounts in election contests and qualifications challenges,
31 the committee has the power to send for and compel the
32 attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers,
33 ballots, documents, and records by subpoena signed by the
-74- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 Chairperson of the committee as provided by law and subject
2 to Rule 4(c)(9). In conducting proceedings in election
3 contests and qualifications challenges, the Chairperson of
4 the committee and the Chairperson of any subcommittee may
5 administer oaths to witnesses, as provided by law, and for
6 this purpose a subcommittee is deemed to be a committee of
7 the House.
8 (d) The committee may issue commissions by its
9 Chairperson to any officer authorized to take depositions of
10 any necessary witnesses as may be permitted by law. In
11 recounting the ballots in any election contest, however, no
12 person other than a member of the committee shall handle any
13 ballots, tally sheets, or other election materials without
14 consent of the committee or subcommittee. The responsibility
15 for the actual recounting of ballots may not be delegated.
16 (e) The committee shall maintain an accurate and
17 complete record of proceedings in every election contest and
18 qualifications challenge. That record shall include all
19 notices and pleadings, the transcripts and roll call votes,
20 all reports and dissents, and all documents that were
21 admitted into the proceeding. The committee shall file the
22 record with the Clerk of the House upon the adoption of its
23 final report. The record shall then be available for
24 examination in the Clerk's office.
25 (f) With the approval of the Speaker, the committee may
26 employ clerks, stenographers, court reporters, professional
27 staff, and messengers.
28 (House Rule 88)
29 88. Adoption of Reports in Contests and Challenges.
30 (a) All final decisions of the committee regarding an
31 election contest or qualification challenge shall be approved
32 by a majority of the members appointed to the committee and
33 reported in writing to the House. Reports shall include a
-75- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 specific recommendation to the House as to the disposition of
2 the contest or challenge. Final reports following full
3 inquiry on the merits of a contest or challenge shall contain
4 findings of fact and, when necessary, conclusions of law.
5 (b) Any member of the committee may file a dissent from
6 a report of the committee, a minority report, or a special
7 concurrence with the majority report or with any minority
8 report.
9 (c) A subcommittee shall report to the committee in
10 writing in the same form as required for the committee
11 report. Subcommittee members may file dissents, reports, and
12 special concurrences.
13 (d) Reports shall not be adopted by the committee or a
14 subcommittee until a hearing has been held thereon, with
15 notice to all parties and a reasonable opportunity to examine
16 and respond to a proposed majority report.
17 (e) Reports of the committee shall be filed with the
18 Clerk, reproduced, and placed on the members' desks, along
19 with any dissents, minority reports, or special concurrences,
20 in the same manner as provided for bills under Rule 39. The
21 report shall be listed on the calendar under the heading
22 "Report of Election Contest" or "Report of Qualifications
23 Challenge". The report shall be carried on the Daily
24 Calendar for 2 legislative days before any action by the
25 House.
26 (f) The House shall adopt the majority report or a
27 minority report in an election contest or qualifications
28 challenge or shall refuse to adopt any report filed and
29 re-refer the contest or challenge to the committee for
30 further proceedings or for a modified report. A report that
31 has the effect of unseating an incumbent member of the House
32 shall be adopted only by the affirmative vote of 60 members
33 elected.
34 (g) Each party to a contest or challenge shall file with
-76- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 the Clerk of the committee within 10 days after the filing of
2 the final report a detailed statement of attorney's fees and
3 expenses incurred by that party in connection with the case.
4 The committee shall make recommendations to the House
5 concerning reimbursement of attorney's fees and the expenses
6 of the parties. The recommendation shall not exceed a sum
7 that is reasonable, just, and proper.
8 ARTICLE XI
9 DISCIPLINE AND PROTEST
10 (House Rule 89)
11 89. Disorderly Behavior.
12 (a) In accordance with Article IV, Sec. 6(d) of the
13 Constitution, the House may punish any of its members for
14 disorderly behavior and, with the concurrence of two-thirds
15 of the members elected, expel a member (but not for a second
16 time for the same offense). The reason for expulsion shall
17 be entered upon the Journal with the names and votes of those
18 members voting on the question.
19 (b) In accordance with Article IV, Sec. 6(d) of the
20 Constitution, the House during its session may punish by
21 imprisonment any person, not a member, guilty of disrespect
22 to the House by disorderly or contemptuous behavior in its
23 presence. That imprisonment shall not extend beyond 24 hours
24 at one time unless the person persists in disorderly or
25 contemptuous behavior.
26 (House Rule 90)
27 90. Protest. Any 2 members have the right to dissent
28 and protest, in respectful language, against any act or
29 resolution that they may think injurious to the public or to
30 any individual, and have the reason of their protest entered
31 upon the Journal. When by motion a majority of members
-77- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 determines that the language of a protest is not respectful,
2 the protest shall be referred back to the protesting members.
3 ARTICLE XII
4 DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS
5 (House Rule 91)
6 91. Initiating Disciplinary Proceedings.
7 (a) Disciplinary proceedings may be commenced by filing
8 with the Speaker a petition for a special investigating
9 committee. The petition must be signed by at least one member
10 of the House, and shall contain suggested charges which, if
11 true, may subject the member named in the petition to
12 disciplinary action by the House. If the petition is signed
13 by 3 or more members of the House, the Speaker shall appoint
14 3 members of the majority caucus and the Minority Leader
15 shall appoint 3 members of the minority caucus to a special
16 investigating committee. If the petition is signed by fewer
17 than 3 members of the House, the Speaker shall consult the
18 member named in the petition, and unless that member objects
19 in writing, the Speaker and the Minority Leader shall appoint
20 a special investigating committee. If the member named in
21 the petition objects to the appointment of a special
22 investigating committee, any member who signed a petition for
23 an investigation under this Rule may introduce a resolution
24 to initiate disciplinary proceedings. Unless a resolution
25 initiating disciplinary proceedings is introduced under this
26 Rule, the contents of a petition for a special investigating
27 committee shall be confidential except as to the member
28 named, the members signing it, the Speaker, and the members
29 of a special investigating committee.
30 (b) A resolution to initiate disciplinary proceedings
31 shall be substantially in the following form:
32 "BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
-78- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 ______________ GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,
2 that a Special Investigating Committee be appointed to
3 investigate allegations concerning the conduct of
4 Representative _______________________, which, if true, may
5 subject that member to disciplinary action by the House of
6 Representatives."
7 A resolution to initiate disciplinary proceedings may be
8 introduced only as permitted under this Rule. It is improper
9 to attempt to initiate disciplinary proceedings in any manner
10 not authorized by this Rule.
11 (c) A resolution to initiate disciplinary proceedings
12 shall not be assigned to committee, notwithstanding the
13 provisions of Rule 15. The resolution shall lie on the
14 Speaker's Table and shall be called within 5 legislative
15 days.
16 (d) A resolution to initiate disciplinary proceedings is
17 debatable.
18 (e) A resolution initiating disciplinary proceedings may
19 be adopted only by the affirmative vote of 60 members
20 elected.
21 (f) This Rule may be suspended only by unanimous
22 consent.
23 (House Rule 92)
24 92. Preliminary Investigation.
25 (a) Pursuant to a petition or upon the adoption of a
26 resolution initiating disciplinary proceedings, as provided
27 in Rule 91, a special investigating committee consisting of 6
28 members shall be appointed, of whom 3 shall be appointed by
29 the Speaker from the majority caucus and 3 shall be appointed
30 by the Minority Leader from the minority caucus. The Speaker
31 shall appoint the Chairperson of the special investigating
32 committee from among the 6 members. Sponsors of the
33 initiating resolution may not be appointed to the special
-79- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 investigating committee.
2 (b) The special investigating committee shall conduct a
3 thorough investigation of all allegations and charges of
4 impropriety concerning the member named in the initiating
5 resolution that are brought to its attention to determine if
6 reasonable grounds exist to bring charges against the member
7 for formal disciplinary proceedings by the House. The
8 special investigating committee shall meet with the Principal
9 Sponsor of the initiating resolution at its initial meeting.
10 At the initial meeting, the Principal Sponsor of the
11 initiating resolution shall submit to the special
12 investigating committee a written list of suggested charges.
13 The list shall define the scope of the inquiry or
14 investigation pursuant to the initiating resolution. If the
15 Principal Sponsor of the initiating resolution fails to
16 submit a list, the special committee shall report a
17 resolution of exoneration.
18 The Principal Sponsor of the initiating resolution shall
19 also submit to the special investigating committee all
20 information he or she may have relevant to the charges and
21 allegations.
22 (c) The special investigating committee shall conduct
23 all of its proceedings in executive session, and shall
24 maintain strict confidence as to all of its proceedings and
25 all witnesses, testimony, information, and exhibits that may
26 come before it. No transcript or record of proceedings shall
27 be taken. This subsection shall be adopted and effective
28 upon an affirmative vote of 79 members. This subsection may
29 not be suspended.
30 (d) Except for its initial meeting, any posting or
31 notice requirements do not apply to meetings of the special
32 investigating committee, but the Chairperson shall give
33 notice of all meetings to the member named in and the
34 Principal Sponsor of the initiating resolution and shall give
-80- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 reasonable notice to the public. The member who is the
2 subject of the initiating resolution has the right to counsel
3 during proceedings of the special investigating committee.
4 (e) Except for subsection (c), this Rule may be
5 suspended only by the affirmative vote of 71 members elected.
6 (House Rule 93)
7 93. Report of Special Investigating Committee.
8 (a) The special investigating committee shall report in
9 writing. All reports shall be signed by the members
10 supporting the report.
11 (b) If a majority of the members of the special
12 committee determines to prefer charges, it shall file with
13 the Clerk a formal statement of charges and specifications,
14 and shall appoint 2 members of the House, one from the
15 majority caucus and one from the minority caucus, who are not
16 members of the special investigating committee to be managers
17 for the House at the hearing on the charges. The statement
18 of charges shall constitute the report of the special
19 committee, but the special committee in its discretion may
20 file a supplementary report stating its reasons for not
21 bringing any other charges that may have been suggested to
22 it.
23 (c) If the special committee determines not to prefer
24 charges, it shall file with the Clerk a resolution
25 exonerating the member named in the initiating resolution
26 together with a report stating its reasons for not preferring
27 charges.
28 (d) If the special committee cannot by majority vote of
29 its members determine whether to prefer charges, the
30 committee shall file with the Clerk a resolution of
31 exoneration and a report stating the affirmative reasons for
32 not preferring charges. That report shall be signed by all
33 members of the special investigating committee, regardless of
-81- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 their original vote in the committee proceedings on whether
2 to prefer charges.
3 (e) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
4 vote of 71 members elected.
5 (House Rule 94)
6 94. Select Committee on Discipline.
7 (a) When charges are preferred against any member of the
8 House under Rule 93, the Speaker and the Minority Leader
9 shall appoint a committee, to be known as a select committee
10 on discipline, to hear and determine the charges. The select
11 committee shall consist of 12 members of the House, 6 of whom
12 shall be appointed by the Speaker from the majority caucus
13 and 6 of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader from
14 the minority caucus. The Speaker shall appoint a Chairperson
15 of the select committee from among the 12 members. No member
16 who served on the special investigating committee or any
17 sponsor of the initiating resolution may be appointed to the
18 select committee.
19 (b) All appointments to a select committee on discipline
20 shall be completed and the select committee shall convene
21 within 30 days after the filing of charges for which the
22 committee is appointed.
23 (c) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
24 vote of 79 members elected.
25 (House Rule 95)
26 95. Hearings on Disciplinary Charges.
27 (a) Proceedings before the select committee on
28 discipline shall be adversary in form, with the managers for
29 the House presenting the case for disciplinary action. The
30 respondent member may be represented by counsel.
31 (b) Stipulations of fact shall be encouraged by the
32 select committee.
-82- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (c) The rules of evidence applicable to criminal
2 proceedings apply except as may be waived by the managers or
3 respondent, as may be appropriate.
4 (House Rule 96)
5 96. Report of Select Committee.
6 (a) The committee shall vote on each specification and
7 charge, except that a vote of exoneration on a charge shall
8 be a vote as to all specifications under that charge. All
9 final votes on the merits of a charge or specification shall
10 be by record vote.
11 (b) A finding of fault or exoneration on any
12 specification or charge requires an affirmative vote of a
13 majority of the members appointed to the select committee.
14 (c) The committee shall file a report of its findings on
15 each specification and charge and a recommendation as to
16 penalty with the Clerk. The report shall state the reasons
17 for each conclusion and recommendation. If the committee
18 finds the respondent member exonerated regarding any charge,
19 it shall report a resolution of exoneration together with its
20 report. If the select committee finds the respondent member
21 at fault regarding any charge, it shall report a resolution
22 embodying its findings and recommended penalty.
23 (d) If a select committee reports a finding of fault
24 regarding any charge, any member of the select committee may
25 file a minority report with the Clerk either dissenting from
26 a finding, reason, or recommendation in the majority report
27 or stating a concurrence on different grounds. A dissenting
28 report may include a resolution of exoneration as to any
29 charge or specifications.
30 (e) When a select committee has found a member at fault
31 regarding a charge, the committee shall adopt a
32 recommendation for disciplinary action. The committee may
33 recommend a reprimand, a censure, expulsion from the House,
-83- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 or that no penalty be invoked. The recommendation on
2 disciplinary action requires an affirmative vote of the
3 majority of the members appointed to the select committee.
4 (f) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
5 vote of 71 members elected.
6 (House Rule 97)
7 97. House Action on Disciplinary Reports.
8 (a) The report of a select committee, together with any
9 dissenting or concurring reports, and any accompanying
10 resolution, shall be reproduced and placed on the members'
11 desks, in the same manner as for bills under Rule 39. The
12 report shall be placed on the calendar under the heading
13 "Report of Select Committee on Discipline". The report shall
14 be carried on the Daily Calendar for 2 legislative days
15 before any action by the House.
16 (b) If the report of a select committee or a special
17 investigating committee exonerates the respondent member, the
18 House shall take up the resolution or re-refer the case to
19 the committee for further proceedings.
20 (c) If the select committee reports a finding of fault
21 as to any charge, the House shall take up the resolution for
22 disciplinary action together with any minority resolutions.
23 The House may amend a resolution for disciplinary action to
24 decrease the recommended penalty.
25 (d) The House shall take action by a record vote on each
26 resolution. Adoption of a resolution finding the respondent
27 member at fault regarding charges and specifications shall
28 dispose of any minority resolution of exoneration on those
29 charges and specifications. If the House adopts a resolution
30 of exoneration as to any charge or specification, a majority
31 resolution shall be amended in accord with that disposition
32 of those charges and specifications before it may be called
33 for a final vote. If the adoption of exoneration resolutions
-84- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 disposes of all the charges and specifications in a majority
2 resolution for disciplinary action, the majority resolution
3 shall be tabled.
4 (e) Following record votes on all majority and minority
5 resolutions arising out of a select committee finding of
6 fault on a charge or specification, if there remains any
7 charge or specification on which the House has neither
8 exonerated the member or adopted a finding of fault, then any
9 member may introduce and move a resolution of exoneration on
10 that charge or specification.
11 (f) A resolution finding a member at fault regarding a
12 charge may be adopted only by the affirmative vote of 71
13 members elected, except that a resolution the effect of which
14 is to expel a member may be adopted only by the affirmative
15 vote of 79 members elected.
16 (g) This Rule may be suspended only by the affirmative
17 vote of 79 members elected.
18 ARTICLE XIII
19 FORCE AND EFFECT
20 (House Rule 98)
21 98. Applicability. The meetings and actions of the
22 House, including all of its committees, are governed by these
23 House Rules.
24 (House Rule 99)
25 99. Parliamentary Authority. The rules of parliamentary
26 practice appearing in the latest edition of Robert's Rules of
27 Order govern the House in all cases to which they apply so
28 long as they are not inconsistent with these Rules.
29 (House Rule 100)
30 100. Certification by Speaker. With respect to each
-85- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 bill that is certified by the Speaker in accordance with
2 Article IV, Sec. 8(d) of the Constitution, there is an
3 irrebuttable presumption that the procedural requirements for
4 passage have been met.
5 (House Rule 101)
6 101. Effective Date. These rules are in full force and
7 effect upon their adoption, and shall remain in full force
8 and effect except as amended in accordance with these Rules,
9 or until superseded by new rules adopted as part of the
10 organization of a newly-constituted General Assembly at the
11 commencement of a term.
12 ARTICLE XIV
13 DEFINITIONS
14 (House Rule 102)
15 102. Definitions. As used in these Rules, terms have
16 the meanings ascribed to them as follows, unless the context
17 clearly requires a different meaning:
18 (1) Chairperson. "Chairperson" means that
19 Representative designated by the Speaker to serve as
20 chair of a committee.
21 (2) Co-Chairperson. "Co-Chairperson" means a
22 Representative designated by the Speaker to serve as
23 co-chair of a special committee.
24 (3) Clerk. "Clerk" means the elected Clerk of the
25 House.
26 (4) Committee. "Committee" means a committee of
27 the House and includes a standing committee, the Rules
28 Committee, a special committee, the Committee on
29 Conflicts of Interest, committees created under Article X
30 and Article XII of these Rules, and a subcommittee of a
31 committee. "Committee" does not mean a conference
-86- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 committee, and the procedural and notice requirements
2 applicable to committees do not apply to conference
3 committees.
4 (5) Constitution. "Constitution" means the
5 Constitution of the State of Illinois.
6 (6) General Assembly. "General Assembly" means the
7 current General Assembly of the State of Illinois.
8 (7) House. "House" means the House of
9 Representatives of the General Assembly.
10 (8) Joint Action Motions. "Joint action motions"
11 means the following motions before the House: to concur
12 in a Senate amendment, to non-concur in a Senate
13 amendment, to recede from a House amendment, to refuse to
14 recede from a House amendment, to request that a
15 conference committee be appointed, and to adopt a
16 conference committee report.
17 (9) Legislative Digest. "Legislative Digest" means
18 the Legislative Synopsis and Digest that is prepared by
19 the Legislative Reference Bureau of the General Assembly.
20 (10) Legislative Measures. "Legislative measures"
21 means all matters brought before the House for
22 consideration, whether originated in the House or Senate,
23 and includes bills, amendments, resolutions, conference
24 committee reports, motions, messages, notices, and
25 Executive Orders from the executive branch.
26 (11) Majority. "Majority" means a majority of
27 those members present and voting on a question. Unless
28 otherwise specified with respect to a particular House
29 Rule, for purposes of determining the number of members
30 present and voting on a question, a "present" vote shall
31 not be counted.
32 (12) Majority Caucus. "Majority caucus" means that
33 group of Representatives from the numerically strongest
34 political party in the House.
-87- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 (13) Majority of those Appointed. "Majority of
2 those appointed" means a majority of the total number of
3 Representatives authorized under these Rules to be
4 appointed to a committee.
5 (14) Majority of those Elected. "Majority of those
6 elected" means a majority of the total number of
7 Representatives entitled to be elected to the House,
8 regardless of the number of elected or appointed
9 Representatives actually serving in office. So long as
10 118 Representatives are entitled to be elected to the
11 House, "majority of those elected" means 60 affirmative
12 votes; 71 affirmative votes means three-fifths of the
13 members elected; and 79 affirmative votes means
14 two-thirds of the members elected.
15 (15) Member. "Member" means a Representative.
16 Where the context so requires, "member" may also mean a
17 Senator of the Illinois Senate.
18 (16) Members Appointed. "Members appointed" means
19 the total number of Representatives authorized under
20 these Rules to be appointed to a committee.
21 (17) Members Elected. "Members elected" means the
22 118 Representatives entitled to be elected to the House,
23 regardless of the number of elected or appointed
24 Representatives actually serving in office.
25 (18) Minority Caucus. "Minority caucus" means that
26 group of Representatives from the second numerically
27 strongest political party in the House.
28 (19) Minority Leader. "Minority Leader" means the
29 Minority Leader of the House elected under Rule 2.
30 (20) Minority Spokesperson. "Minority
31 spokesperson" means that Representative designated by the
32 Minority Leader to serve as the minority spokesperson of
33 a committee.
34 (21) Perfunctory Session. "Perfunctory session"
-88- LRB093 02161 RCE 04483 r
1 means the convening of the House, pursuant to the
2 scheduling of the Speaker, for purposes consistent with
3 Rule 28.
4 (22) Presiding Officer. "Presiding Officer" means
5 that Representative serving as the presiding officer of
6 the House, whether that Representative is the Speaker or
7 another Representative designated by the Speaker under
8 Rule 4.
9 (23) Principal Sponsor. "Principal sponsor" means
10 the first listed House sponsor of any legislative
11 measure; with respect to a standing committee-sponsored
12 bill or resolution, it means the Chairperson of the
13 committee; with respect to a special committee-sponsored
14 bill or resolution, it means the Co-Chairperson from the
15 majority caucus.
16 (24) Record Vote. "Record vote" means a vote by
17 ayes and nays entered on the journal.
18 (25) Representative. "Representative" means any
19 duly elected or duly appointed Illinois State
20 Representative, and means the same as "member".
21 (26) Senate. "Senate" means the Senate of the
22 General Assembly.
23 (27) Speaker. "Speaker" means the Speaker of the
24 House elected as provided in Rule 1.
25 (28) Term. "Term" means the 2-year term of a
26 General Assembly.
27 (29) Vice-Chairperson. "Vice-Chairperson" means
28 that Representative designated by the Speaker to serve as
29 Vice-Chairperson of a committee.
This site is maintained for the Illinois General Assembly
by the Legislative Information System, 705 Stratton Building, Springfield, Illinois 62706
Contact ILGA Webmaster