County Commission | The Magazine January 2020 | Page 36

NEWS YOU CAN USE
Legislative Lingo
AMENDMENT • An alteration made, or proposed to be made, to a bill or resolution by adding, changing, substituting or
omitting language.
BIR • A BIR (abbreviation for Budget Isolation Resolution) must be adopted before each bill can be debated on the floor.
Consideration of BIRs discontinues when both state budgets have passed the legislature and have been transmitted to the governor.
CALENDAR • A list of bills that have been reported out of committee and are ready for their third reading.
Regular Order Calendar A list of bills in the order that they were reported out of committees for third reading. This list
reflects the order for considering bills.
Special Order Calendar A list of bills selected from the regular order calendar by the Rules Committee for priority treatment.
Consent Calendar A list of non-controversial bills that have been through the consent calendar process in the House Rules
Committee and are to be considered before the regular order calendar on each legislative day.
COMMITTEES
Standing Committee A group of senators or representatives appointed by the presiding officers or Senate President Pro
Tem to act on bills in a certain area of interest. The committees last for the entire length of a legislative term (4 years).
Conference Committee A panel composed of 3 members (conferees) from each house appointed by the presiding officer
in the House and the Committee on Assignments in the Senate to resolve differences between the two houses on an
amended instrument. Conference committees report amendments back to the legislature for further action.
Rules Committees A group in each house responsible for setting the daily calendars of the House and the Senate.
ENROLLMENT • The final processing of a bill or resolution,
incorporating all amendments, after passing both houses. This
is the document that is signed by both presiding officers and
the governor. Constitutional amendments do not require the
governor’s signature.
READING • A milestone in the legislative process. The term
is a holdover from an era when there was only one written copy
of a bill.
1st Reading The reading of a bill by title upon
introduction, after which the presiding officer refers it to
an appropriate standing committee for study.
2nd Reading The reading of a bill when it is reported out
of committee, along with announcement of committee
action. The presiding officer then orders said bill placed
on the calendar for the next legislative day.
3rd Reading The reading of a bill when it comes up
for consideration on the floor. It is at this point that
amendments are considered, and the bill is passed or
defeated. If it is passed, it is then transmitted to the
other house.
SUBSTITUTE • An amendment in the form of an entire bill.
When adopted, a substitute becomes the bill.
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