![]() Bicameral ProceduresĮach body of the General Assembly is required to pass legislation in exactly the same form before it can be sent to the Governor to become law. Upon passage of legislation, bills and the action taken regarding them are communicated to the other body. ![]() If a bill fails to be engrossed and advanced to its third reading, the bill is defeated. Engrossing means incorporating any amendment(s) which may have been adopted by the body. The legislators vote on any amendments or substitutes, and then on whether to engross the bill and send it to its third reading. The second reading is referred to as the "amendable state," and committee amendments, floor amendments and floor substitutes are considered. Legislation reported from the Committees appears on the Calendar under the category of Senate Bills on First Reading in the Senate, House Bills on First Reading in the House of Delegates, etc. The bill may have similar language or duplicate language with the same intent.įor bills that are reported to the floor, the title of each bill must be read three times or appear in the printed Calendar on three different days. ![]() Incorporate into other Legislation: The bill is incorporated, or included into another bill through an amendment or a substitute.No Action or Left in Committee: No motion is made on the bill and it dies at the time of the committee action deadline.If the bill is not taken up before the deadline, then it is considered Left in Committee or No Action Taken. Pass by for the day: The committee is not ready to act on the bill.A bill may not be continued or carried over from an odd-numbered year session to an even-numbered year session. A carry-over bill retains its assigned bill number in the odd-numbered year session. Continue/Carry Over: A bill introduced in an even-numbered year session may be continued or carried over to an odd-numbered year session for further action or study during the interim.Defeat: The committee rejects a motion to report the bill, and there is no further action by the committee.Pass by Indefinitely (PBI): This action allows the committee to reconsider the legislation prior to the deadline established by the procedural resolution that sets the schedule for consideration of bills.Report: The majority of the committee approves of the bill and it is reported to the floor or referred to another committee.After the committee hears the patron and any other witnesses, the committee has several options when the chairman calls for a vote: Any citizen of the Commonwealth has the right to attend a committee meeting and speak about legislation. Once the bill is referred to the appropriate committee, the committee members consider the bill and decide what action to take. In the Senate, the bill is assigned a number by the Clerk, who refers it to a committee. The Speaker refers the bill to a committee. In the House of Delegates, the Clerk assigns a number for each bill and sends the legislation to the Speaker of the House. The bill is signed by the patron, introduced, and printed. Introduction of BillsĪ Delegate or Senator presents an idea for a bill to the Division of Legislative Services, which checks existing law and the constitutionality of the proposal, drafts the bill, and gives it to the member for introduction. The General Assembly reconvenes six weeks after adjournment to consider the Governor's actions on bills. Both the governor and the General Assembly (with 2/3 majority vote in both houses) can call for a special session. The session may be extended by a 2/3 majority vote in both houses. In even-numbered years, the session length is 60 days in odd-numbered years it is 30 days. Legislative sessions convene on the second Wednesday in January each year.
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