ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 1
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
INTRODUCED JANUARY 11, 1996
By Assemblyman DiGAETANO
An Assembly Resolution organizing the General Assembly for 1996 and amending Rules 70, 116 and 159.
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. That the Clerk of the General Assembly be directed to inform the Senate that the General Assembly has organized, its Speaker being the Honorable Jack Collins of Salem County, and its Clerk, Linda Metzger of Gloucester County, for the First Annual Session of the Two Hundred-Seventh Session of the General Assembly, and has proceeded to business.
2. That the Speaker be and is hereby authorized to appoint such assistants as he may deem necessary.
3. That the working staff of the General Assembly shall be at all times subject to the direction of the Speaker and the Clerk, who shall have authority to designate to any member of the staff such duties as may be required.
4. That unless otherwise ordered the regular hours of meetings of the General Assembly will be on days and at times to be announced to the members, the news media and the public by the Speaker.
5. That no floor passes be issued by any officer or member of the General Assembly other than the Speaker, with the further provision that the privilege of the floor may be extended by a resolution duly adopted.
6. That in the absence of the Clerk, such other officers or employees as directed by the Speaker shall perform all duties imposed by law and the rules of the General Assembly upon the Clerk.
7. That the Bill Drafting Manual prepared and revised from time to time by the Office of Legislative Services, be adopted as the official manual of practice and procedure of the General Assembly governing the form of bills to be introduced in the General Assembly and governing the conduct of the preliminary examination of bills proposed for introduction in the General Assembly required by the Rules of the General Assembly. A copy of the revised manual shall be provided to the Clerk.
That in order to carry out the aforementioned practice and procedure, the Legislative Counsel and such deputies and assistants as he shall assign be designated as counsel to conduct said preliminary examination of bills proposed for introduction and amendments adopted in the General Assembly under the general supervision of the Legislative Counsel.
8. That each member of the General Assembly be authorized to retain up to six aides at a total compensation per member asauthorized by law, except the Speaker may authorize more than six aides.
9. That the Rules of the 1995 General Assembly be adopted temporarily as the Rules for the 1996 General Assembly with the following changes:
Amend Rule 70 as follows:
70. The following Standing Reference, Administrative and Joint Committees and Standing Reference Subcommittees shall be appointed, by the Speaker in accordance with the provisions of Rule 23, at the commencement of each annual session, and shall serve for the entire legislative year, unless otherwise ordered:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY STANDING REFERENCE COMMITTEES
1. Agriculture and Waste Management Committee
[1.] 2. Appropriations Committee
a. Subcommittee on the Economy
b. Subcommittee on Government Operations
c. Subcommittee on State Aid
d. Subcommittee on Ways and Means
[2.] 3. Commerce and [Regulated Professions] Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee
[3. Economic Development, Agriculture, and Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee]
4. Community Services Committee
5. Consumer Affairs and Regulated Professions Committee
[4.] 6. Education Committee
[5.] 7. Environment [and Energy] , Science and Technology Committee
[6.] 8. Financial Institutions Committee
[7.] 9. Health [and Human Services] Committee
[8.] 10. Housing Committee
[9. Independent Authorities Committee]
[10.]11. Insurance Committee
[11.]12. Judiciary [, Law and Public Safety] Committee
[12.]13. Labor [, Business and Industry] Committee
14. Law and Public Safety Committee
[13.]15. Local Government Committee
[14.]16. Policy and [Rules] Regulatory Oversight Committee
[15. Regulatory Oversight Committee]
[16.]17. Senior [Citizens and Social Services] Issues, Tourism and Gaming Committee
[17. Solid and Hazardous Waste Committee]
18. State Government Committee
[19. Tourism and Gaming Committee]
[20.]19. Transportation and Communications Committee
GENERAL ASSEMBLY STANDING
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEES
1. Intergovernmental Relations Committee
GENERAL ASSEMBLY JOINT COMMITTEES
1. Ethical Standards Committee
2. State Library Committee
The Appropriations Committee shall consist of 13 members and each of its subcommittees shall consist of three members; [the Judiciary, Law and Public Safety Committee, the Commerce and Regulated Professions Committee and] the Policy and [Rules] Regulatory Oversight Committee shall [each] consist of [11] nine members; all other Standing Reference Committees shall consist of seven members; the Intergovernmental Relations Committee shall consist of five members; and the membership of the General Assembly on the Ethical Standards and State Library Committees shall consist of four members.
The standing administrative committees shall meet from time to time but not less than once in each annual session.
The Speaker shall appoint a chair and a vice-chair for each standing reference and administrative committee and a chair for each standing reference subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. In the absence of the chair, the vice-chair shall preside at any meeting of the committee duly convened by the chair. In case of the disability of a chair, the vice-chair shall, with the approval of the Speaker, assume all the responsibilities of the chair. The chair, vice-chair, and all other members of each committee shall serve at the pleasure of the Speaker, but no committee member shall be removed from his committee assignment except for good cause.
The Speaker and the majority and minority leaders shall be ex-officio members, without vote, on all standing reference committees.
Amend Rule 116 as follows:
116. a. No bill or joint resolution shall be considered on third reading in the General Assembly until after the intervention of one full calendar day following the day of the second reading but if the General Assembly shall resolve by vote of three-fourths of all of its members, signified by yeas, nays and abstentions entered on the Minutes, that a bill or joint resolution is an emergency measure it may proceed forthwith from second to third reading.
b. No bill, joint resolution or concurrent resolution shall be considered on third reading or for final action, as the case may be, in the General Assembly unless notice of the calendaring thereof shall have been distributed to the membership of the General Assembly by the Speaker at least six days prior to the day the bill or resolution is scheduled for such consideration; the Speaker may issue a supplemental list of bills, joint resolutions or concurrent resolutions to be considered on third reading or for final action, as the case may be, if notice of the calendaring thereof has been given to the General Assembly at least three days prior to the day the bills or resolutions are scheduled for such consideration; provided, however, that any bill, joint resolution or concurrent resolution may be considered on third reading or for final action, notwithstanding that the notice required herein has not been distributed to the membership, upon the adoption of a motion therefor. Any bills calendared for one session but not voted on, must be recalendared before consideration at any subsequent session.
c. At any given meeting, the total number of bills, joint resolutions and concurrent resolutions which may be considered for final passage shall not exceed [30] those which have been noticed pursuant to subsection b. above.
d. No bill or resolution shall be considered on third reading or for final action as an emergency measure or by waiver of the six or three days' notice unless a copy of the bill or resolution is placed upon each member's desk prior to consideration or final action.
Amend Rule 159 as follows:
159. [Cushing’s Manual and Cushing’s Law and Practice of Legislative Assemblies] Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure shall in all cases, when not in conflict with the Rules adopted by the General Assembly, be considered and held as standard authority.
10. That Her Excellency the Governor be informed that the General Assembly has organized for 1996, its Speaker being the Honorable Jack Collins of Salem County, and its Clerk, Linda Metzger of Gloucester County, and is now ready to proceed to business and to receive any communications she may forward.
11. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Organizes the General Assembly for 1996 and makes several changes to Rule 70 concerning the standing reference committees. The resolution establishes four newly named committees for Agriculture and Waste Management; Community Services; Consumer Affairs and Regulated Professions; and Law and Public Safety. It eliminates five committees: Economic Development, Agriculture, and Military and Veterans' Affairs; Independent Authorities; Regulatory Oversight; Solid and Hazardous Waste; and Tourism and Gaming. The relevant subject matters are realigned accordingly to the new or remaining committees as amended by the resolution.
It also amends Rule 116c. to remove the numerical limit on the calendar of bills for final passage. It also amends Rule 159 to make Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure the standard authority in those matters where the rules are not in conflict.
Organizes the General Assembly for 1996.