AR218

An Assembly Resolution amending Rule 15:16 of the Rules of the General Assembly.

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Rule 15:16 is amended to read as follows:

15:16. Floor Amendments, Floor Substitutes.

a. Except by special order of the Speaker, no motion for a floor amendment or a floor substitution, and no motion to return a bill or resolution to second reading for the purpose of amendment is in order unless the sponsor of the amendment or floor substitute, at least one hour prior to the motion delivers a copy of the proposed amendment or floor substitute to the Clerk and the Majority and Minority Leaders.

b. No motion to approve an amendment to a bill or resolution, or for a floor substitution shall be considered unless copies are available to the members prior to consideration.

c. The text of the proposed [amendments] amendment or floor substitute does not need to be read by the Clerk unless requested by the sponsor or ordered by the General Assembly. The sponsor of any amendment or floor substitute shall include with the amendment or floor substitute a statement describing its effect.

d. With the prior agreement of the Majority and Minority Leaders, motions to return bills and resolutions to second reading for the purpose of amendment may be consolidated into one motion and motions to amend bills and resolutions may be consolidated into one motion. With the prior agreement of the Majority and Minority Leaders, motions for multiple floor substitutions may be consolidated into one motion. A motion for multiple bills or multiple resolutions to be substituted by one floor substitute is not a consolidated motion for floor substitutions.

(1) The Speaker shall designate a member to make the consolidated motions;

(2) If any member objects promptly after the consolidated motion is moved to the inclusion of any bill or resolution in the consolidated motion to return to second reading, [the] any bill or resolution objected to shall be removed from the consolidated motion to return to second reading and the subsequent consolidated motion to amend; [and]

(3) The Clerk shall read the bill and resolution numbers, but it shall not be necessary for the Clerk to read the record on each of the bills and resolutions. Instead, the Clerk may state that all bills and resolutions in the consolidated motion are currently on second reading in the General Assembly[.] ; and

(4) If any member objects promptly after the consolidated motion is moved for floor substitutions, any floor substitute objected to shall be removed from the consolidated motion for floor substitutions.

e. Floor substitutes are new General Assembly bills or resolutions, even if the substitute is for a Senate bill or resolution.

STATEMENT

This resolution amends Rule 15:16 of the Rules of the General Assembly to address floor substitutions. Currently, this rule addresses only the procedures for moving floor amendments. The procedure for moving both is similar. Because floor substitutes are new General Assembly bills or resolutions, there is no need to return the existing bills or resolutions to second reading. Once the Clerk reads the record on the existing bills or resolutions, the motion for substitution may proceed. The record is read to confirm that the bills or resolutions are in the possession of the General Assembly.

Subsection d. currently allows for consolidated motions to return bills and resolutions to second reading for the purpose of amendment and for consolidated motions to amend bills and resolutions. This resolution authorizes floor substitutions to be included in consolidated motions, with the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders, and further provides for the removal of any floor substitute from the consolidated motion upon the prompt objection of any member.

A floor substitute is sometimes a substitute for multiple existing bills or resolutions. This resolution clarifies that one floor substitute being substituted for multiple bills or resolutions does not constitute a consolidated motion for floor substitutions. To be subject to the provisions for consolidated motions, there must be multiple floor substitutes considered at the same time.

In d.(2) the word “the” is deleted and replaced with “any.” That amendment is for the sake of consistency within d.(2), clarifying that a member may object to multiple bills or resolutions in the consolidated motion.