Presiding Officer - Mr. Murphy's Classroom Blog



Presiding Officer

|In general: |

|Members of the House/Senate will address you as Mr./Madame Speaker/President. |

|To recognize speakers you say, “The chair recognizes Senator/Representative ________” |

| |

|To begin the session, bang the gavel three times and say, "This special session of the United states Senate/House of Representatives will come to order.”|

On the First Day resolutions go to committees (FIRST READING):

You say, "I will read the resolutions by number and title only and refer to ____________ committee."

To Adjourn to Committees: Once there is no new business, say, “Seeing no new business we will adjourn to committees until ______________”

From Committees (SECOND READING): The Speaker (in H) or Majority Leader (S will put together a priority list for the bills coming out of committee. Consider the bills in the order they are numbered at the top of the page.

You say, "The ______ committee reports out Senate/House bill ______ .

o The sponsor or committee chair rises and asks for recognition. After recognition is given, the sponsor says, "Mr/Madam President/Speaker, I move to consider adoption of Senate/House Bill _____.”

o The majority or minority leader or assistant seconds the motion.

o The chair will then read the bill to the legislature and the floor sponsor will give the first argument in favor of the bill.

o After their statement, ask, “Is there any discussion?”

As needed, ask "Is there further debate?"

When there is no more debate, "Hearing none, debate is closed. Shall

House/Senate bill #____ pass the Senate/House?"

o Take a voice vote: All in favor signify by saying, ‘aye.’ ____All opposed, ‘nay.” ____

o Record on Bill Tracking sheet. Be aware that division may be called, in which case you will take a standing vote.

o Then say, "Senate/House Bill #____ having PASSED the Senate/House, will be sent to the House/Senate.

o Or "Senate/House Bill #____ having FAILED the Senate/House, it will be filed with the Secretary of the Senate/House."

Some other strange things:

Previous Question (needs recognition from PO to move)

o If spoken as a motion, “I move Previous Question,” it means that they are moving to close debate on a topic.

o You need a second.

o 2/3 vote to pass or Move for Previous Question Fails.

o If spoken as, “Call for the question.” It does not compel a vote.

o You may respond to such a call with “Are you ready for the Question?” but debate continues until a formal motion and vote is taken.

If someone rises during another's debate ask, "For what purpose does the Senator/Representative rise?"

o If they rise to ask a question, they say, "Mr/Madam President/Speaker, will the Senator/Representative yield to a question?"

o You ask the debating legislator, “Will the Senator/Representative yield?"

o The Senator/Representative may respond,

(1) "I will."

▪ If so, you say, "The Senator/Representative yields”

(2) "I will not",

▪ to which you respond, “The Senator/Representative does not yield."

(3) "When I am through with my debate, I will yield."

▪ to which you reply, "The Senator/Representative will yield at the end of debate. The Senator/Representative may continue with debate."

Amending a Bill

Legislators will rise and move 1) to insert or add…2) to delete or strike out… or 3) to strike out and insert or to substitute…

• Your secretary will record the addition directly on the bill in pencil so that everyone can see.

• The rest goes like any other debate, “Is there any debate on the amendment?....Hearing none, all in favor of the amendment to… say ‘aye’, ‘nay’….the amendment passes/fails.”

• Then, return back to the original debate on the bill.

Division

o “Call for division” by just one person can require a rising vote (instead of voice)

To Stop for the Day:

• “Since there is no further debate, we will recess until (day)___ at (time) ____.“

To Adjourn at the end of the term:

o The Majority Leader rises to say, "Mr/Madam President/Speaker, I move we adjourn."

o The assistant majority leader seconds the motion.

o You announce "The Senate/House stands adjourned until next year.” You pound the gavel once.

At the conclusion of every session return to teacher( 1) Killed bills 2) Bills that need to be passed on to the next house. 3) Bills to be signed by the President.

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Committee Chairs may prioritize bills in their committee

* When discussing a bill, each individual who wishes to speak must raise their hand and say, "Mr/Madam Chair" and wait for you to recognize him/her. In general, all communication must "go through" the chair. This is the way you control the flow of the debate.

Bring committee to order:

1. Call to Session:

• SAY: The _______________ Committee is now in session. We will be discussing H.R/S. Bill ___(number of bill)__.

2. Consider bills.

o First from your own house, then from the other house/senate.

o Testimony may be taken from other committee members, other members of the legislature via their expert testimony, the Presiding Officer, lobbyists and the public.

|When considering Bills: |

|Read through the entire Bill out loud. Read through the expert testimony. |

|As a committee, do a Cost/Benefit Analysis to attach to the bill. This will be on your own piece of paper. Spell out what you like about the bill. |

|Then, separately spell out concerns expressed by the committee. This will be stapled to the bill when it leaves your committee. |

3. Ask for motions. Motions allowed:

o I move that we send Senate Bill/House Bill #_____ to the floor

• with a do pass recommendation

o I move we amended SB/HB#______

• (stating amendment)

o I move that we hold SB/HB#_____ in committee

4. All motions must be seconded or they "die" for a lack of a second.

5. Vote. The Chair votes last. The Secretary/Co-Chair takes a roll call vote (each person votes verbally, one by one) and s/he votes when his/her name is read.

6. Announce the result of the vote.

|If you think it should pass |

|Mark Up Session ⋄ What needs to be changed to ensure this bill's passage? Things you want to take out? Spell out anything that needs to be clarified |

|by handwriting in changes. Vote on any changes. |

|Appoint a member of the committee to be the bill's floor sponsor. This person will introduce the bill and give the first argument in favor of it. |

|Fill out Bill Tracking Sheet and attach it and Cost Benefit Analysis to bill. |

|Chair will hand to Speaker of the House or Senate Majority Leader and update the bill status on the Bill Board. |

|If you do not think it should pass |

|Attach cost/benefit to front of bill, update as failed on the Bill Board, and chair will return to teacher at end of committee session. |

7. Take up the next bill or adjourn the committee.

At the end of each committee meeting, the Secretary/Co-Chair records the

meeting's results on the Bill Board in the classroom and gives the bills to the Speaker or Majority Leader or Teacher

Legislator Instructions

WHEN A LEGISLATOR WANTS TO SPEAK, S/HE SHALL RISE AND FIRST ADDRESS THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE (MR/MADAM PRESIDENT) OR THE SPEAKER (MR/MADAM SPEAKER)

When the PO reports out a bill:

o The sponsor or committee chair rises and asks for recognition. After recognition is given, the sponsor says, "Mr/Madam President/Speaker, I move to consider adoption of Senate/House Bill _____: (name of bill).”

o There needs to be a second for the motion.

o The chair will then post the bill on the document camera and read it to the class. Once that is finished, the floor sponser will give the first argument in favor of the bill.

o “Mr/Madamm President/Speaker this bill is important/our committee supports this bill because…”

To participate in debate:

Stand (“Mr/Ms. Speaker/President” )and be recognized by presiding officer. Then say, “I rise to speak in support of (or in opposition to) HR/S Bill (#).”

For Questions to debater or floor sponsor:

o “Mr/Madam President/Speaker, will the Senator/Representative yield to a question?”

o If you are debating and another asks a question, the PO will ask if you will yield to a question.

o You may respond, (1) "I will." (2) "I will not", or (3) "When I am through with my debate, I will yield."

To close debate: Previous Question (needs recognition from PO to move)

o If spoken as a motion, “I move Previous Question,” it means that you move to close debate on a topic.

o You need a 2nd and 2/3 vote to pass

o If spoken as, “Call for the question.” It does not compel a vote but it is useful to test the class to see if there are enough people to agree to close debate.

To have a standing vote (because you think it sounds too close to call): Division

o Say, “Call for division.” This requires a rising vote (instead of voice)

o Use this if the voice vote is close and you want to make sure that the vote count is accurate. You need to do this before the PO calls it for either side.

To amend: “I move..” 1) to insert or add… 2) to delete or strike out… OR 3) to strike out and insert or to substitute…

SENATE Majority Leader:

Your job is to

1. Decide the order in which the bills will be taken up for debate on the floor of the Senate.(Committee Chairs will pass bills to you and you will put them in order by PRIORITY (assign the number at the top of the Bill Tracking sheet). You will then give that to the President Pro Tempore to lead debate over.

2. Make sure that your party members follow the leadership’s voting recommendations and to make sure that the party’s arguments for or against each bill are presented before the full legislature. You will keep track of bills, reminding committee members of the party’s position on the bill under consideration and helping guide floor debate.

3. During Debate: Your job will be to man the document camera and keep track of any changes that are added from the floor. If you would like to delegate this to a secretary, you may do so in order to take a more active role in the debates themselves.

4. To Adjourn: When the simulation is over, you rise to say, "Mr/Madam

President, I move we adjourn." There needs to be a second and the session will be adjourned.

**You are the first to be recognized in debate in the Senate.

|You may also earn some extra credit. |

| |

|FORMULATE AND PASS YOUR AGENDA (along with PT) |

| |

|Choose 3 bills from those submitted by your party(that will be “Your Agenda.” DO NOT TELL YOUR CLASSMATES THAT THE BILLS ARE YOUR AGENDA…WORK |

|INFORMALLY TO ENCOURAGE PASSAGE. |

|--tell me these by the first day of session |

|Your job in the simulation is to get as many of those 3 bills passed as possible. Use what you have learned about power roles in congress to |

|find a way to get those passed. |

|For Example: The majority will find it easy to put a bill at the top of the calendar in your own house, but that may not be as easy to do in |

|the other house or that the bill will easily make it through committee in either of the houses. |

| |

|At the end of the simulation, submit a 1 page write-up on: |

|The 3 bills you prioritized |

|The action and strategies you took to encourage passage of those bills |

|The status of those bills at the end of the simulation |

|An explanation of why it came to that conclusion. What you did well? What you should have considered, to ensure passage? |

SENATE Pro Tempore:

Your job is to

1. Lead debate. You are the presiding officer. (see 3)

2. Help the Majority Leader decide the order in which the bills will be taken up for debate on the floor of the Senate.(Committee Chairs will pass bills to the Majority Leader and you may help put them in order by PRIORITY (assign the number at the top of the Bill Tracking sheet).

3. After the order has been decided (either by the MajLdr or together), it will be your job to lead the class in parliamentary procedure to debate the bill.

4. Make sure that your party members follow the leadership’s voting recommendations and to make sure that the party’s arguments for or against each bill are presented before the full legislature. You will keep track of bills, reminding committee members of the party’s position on the bill under consideration and helping guide floor debate.

5. When the session is over, you will update the action taken on the Bill Tracking Sheet and update it on the BillBoard.

6. If the Majority Leader wishes to speak before another member, give them priority. The only exception will be when introducing a bill from committee.

|You may also earn some extra credit. |

| |

|FORMULATE AND PASS YOUR AGENDA (with the Majority Leader) |

| |

|With the Majority Leader, choose 3 bills from those submitted by your party(that will be “Your Agenda.” DO NOT TELL YOUR CLASSMATES THAT THE |

|BILLS ARE YOUR AGENDA…WORK INFORMALLY TO ENCOURAGE PASSAGE. |

|--tell me these by the first day of session |

|Your job in the simulation is to get as many of those 3 bills passed as possible. Use what you have learned about power roles in congress to |

|find a way to get those passed. |

|For Example: The majority will find it easy to put a bill at the top of the calendar in your own house, but that may not be as easy to do in |

|the other house or that the bill will easily make it through committee in either of the houses. |

| |

|At the end of the simulation, submit a 1 page write-up on: |

|The 3 bills you prioritized |

|The action and strategies you took to encourage passage of those bills |

|The status of those bills at the end of the simulation |

|An explanation of why it came to that conclusion. What you did well? What you should have considered, to ensure passage? |

SENATE Minority Leader:

Your job is to

1. Help the Majority Leader and President Pro Tempore assign your classmates to committee.

2. Use your connections to the leadership to influence order of consideration of bills. Stay up to date of what the MajLdr and Tempore have planned to notify and motivate your party.

3. Be a leader in debate, either speaking out against policies you don’t support or lining up members of your party to speak against it. Make sure that the party’s arguments for or against each bill are presented before the full legislature.

4. Make sure that your party members follow the leadership’s voting recommendations. You will keep track of bills, reminding committee members of the party’s position on the bill under consideration and helping guide floor debate.

|You may also earn some extra credit. |

| |

|FORMULATE AND PASS YOUR AGENDA |

| |

|Choose 3 bills from those submitted by your party(that will be “Your Agenda.” DO NOT TELL YOUR CLASSMATES THAT THE BILLS ARE YOUR AGENDA…WORK |

|INFORMALLY TO ENCOURAGE PASSAGE. |

|--tell me these by the first day of session |

| |

|Your job in the simulation is to get as many of those 3 bills passed as possible. Use what you have learned about power roles in congress to |

|find a way to get those passed. |

|For Example: The majority will find it easy to put a bill at the top of the calendar in your own house, but that may not be as easy to do in |

|the other house or that the bill will easily make it through committee in either of the houses. |

|The minority will need to plan a little bit of legislative strategy to use what you have to your best advantage. |

| |

|At the end of the simulation, submit a 1 page write-up on: |

|The 3 bills you prioritized |

|The action and strategies you took to encourage passage of those bills |

|The status of those bills at the end of the simulation |

|An explanation of why it came to that conclusion. What you did well? What you should have considered, to ensure passage? |

HOUSE Majority Leader:

Your job is to

1. Assist the Speaker in dividing bills into committees. (Committee Chairs will pass bills to the Speaker of the House (assisted by you) to be put into order by PRIORITY (assign the number at the top of the Bill Tracking sheet).

2. During Debate: Your job will be to man the document camera and keep track of any changes that are added from the floor. If you would like to delegate this to a secretary, you may do so in order to take a more active role in the debates themselves.

3. Be a leader in debate, either speaking out against policies you don’t support or lining up members of your party to speak against it. Make sure that the party’s arguments for or against each bill are presented before the full legislature.

4. Make sure that your party members follow the leadership’s voting recommendations. You will keep track of bills, reminding committee members of the party’s position on the bill under consideration and helping guide floor debate.

5. To Adjourn: When the simulation is over, you rise to say, "Mr/Madam

Speaker, I move we adjourn."

|You may also earn some extra credit. |

| |

|FORMULATE AND PASS YOUR AGENDA (together with the Speaker) |

| |

|Choose 3 bills from those submitted by your party(that will be “Your Agenda.” DO NOT TELL YOUR CLASSMATES THAT THE BILLS ARE YOUR |

|AGENDA…WORK INFORMALLY TO ENCOURAGE PASSAGE. |

|--tell me these by the first day of session |

| |

|Your job in the simulation is to get as many of those 3 bills passed as possible. Use what you have learned about power roles in congress|

|to find a way to get those passed. |

|For Example: The majority will find it easy to put a bill at the top of the calendar in your own house, but that may not be as easy to do|

|in the other house or that the bill will easily make it through committee in either of the houses. |

| |

|At the end of the simulation, submit a 1 page write-up on: |

|The 3 bills you prioritized |

|The action and strategies you took to encourage passage of those bills |

|The status of those bills at the end of the simulation |

|An explanation of why it came to that conclusion. What you did well? What you should have considered, to ensure passage? |

HOUSE Minority Leader:

Your job is to

1. Help the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader assign your classmates to committee.

2. Use your connections to the leadership to influence order of consideration of bills. Stay up to date of what the Speaker and MajLdr have planned to notify and motivate your party.

3. Be a leader in debate, either speaking out against policies you don’t support or lining up members of your party to speak against it. Make sure that the party’s arguments for or against each bill are presented before the full legislature.

4. Make sure that your party members follow the leadership’s voting recommendations. You will keep track of bills, reminding committee members of the party’s position on the bill under consideration and helping guide floor debate.

|You may also earn some extra credit. |

| |

|FORMULATE AND PASS YOUR AGENDA |

| |

|Choose 3 bills from those submitted by your party(that will be “Your Agenda.” DO NOT TELL YOUR CLASSMATES THAT THE BILLS ARE YOUR AGENDA…WORK |

|INFORMALLY TO ENCOURAGE PASSAGE. |

|--tell me these by the first day of session |

| |

|Your job in the simulation is to get as many of those 3 bills passed as possible. Use what you have learned about power roles in congress to |

|find a way to get those passed. |

|For Example: The majority will find it easy to put a bill at the top of the calendar in your own house, but that may not be as easy to do in |

|the other house or that the bill will easily make it through committee in either of the houses. |

|The minority will need to plan a little bit of legislative strategy to use what you have to your best advantage. |

| |

|At the end of the simulation, submit a 1 page write-up on: |

|The 3 bills you prioritized |

|The action and strategies you took to encourage passage of those bills |

|The status of those bills at the end of the simulation |

|An explanation of why it came to that conclusion. What you did well? What you should have considered, to ensure passage? |

HOUSE Speaker of the House:

Your job is to

1. Work with the Majority Leader and Minority Leader to assign your classmates to committee.

2. Decide the order in which the bills will be taken up for debate on the floor of the House.(Committee Chairs will pass bills to you and you will put them in order by PRIORITY (assign the number at the top of the Bill Tracking sheet). You will then lead debate over the bill.

3. It will be your job to lead the class in parliamentary procedure to debate the bill.

4. Make sure that your party members follow the leadership’s voting recommendations and to make sure that the party’s arguments for or against each bill are presented before the full legislature. You will keep track of bills, reminding committee members of the party’s position on the bill under consideration and helping guide floor debate.

5. When the session is over, you will update the action taken on the Bill Tracking Sheet and update it on the BillBoard.

|You may also earn some extra credit. |

| |

|FORMULATE AND PASS YOUR AGENDA (along with the Majority Leader) |

| |

|Choose 3 bills from those submitted by your party(that will be “Your Agenda.” DO NOT TELL YOUR CLASSMATES THAT THE BILLS ARE YOUR AGENDA…WORK |

|INFORMALLY TO ENCOURAGE PASSAGE. |

|--tell me these by the first day of session |

| |

|Your job in the simulation is to get as many of those 3 bills passed as possible. Use what you have learned about power roles in congress to |

|find a way to get those passed. |

|For Example: The majority will find it easy to put a bill at the top of the calendar in your own house, but that may not be as easy to do in |

|the other house or that the bill will easily make it through committee in either of the houses. |

| |

|At the end of the simulation, submit a 1 page write-up on: |

|The 3 bills you prioritized |

|The action and strategies you took to encourage passage of those bills |

|The status of those bills at the end of the simulation |

|An explanation of why it came to that conclusion. What you did well? What you should have considered, to ensure passage? |

Bill Tracking BILL# ________

Short Title_____________________________________________________________

Priority 1 ______

House of Origin = ____________________ Floor Sponsor____________________

COMMITTEE _________________________________ DATE________ PERIOD_____

Action Taken(circle): Do pass/ Pass with Amendment

|Floor Action: Standing Vote# ________Yes ________No |

|_______ Passed _________ Failed |

Priority 2 ______

Second House _________________________ Floor Sponsor___________________

COMMITTEE _________________________________ DATE________ PERIOD_____

Action Taken(circle): Do pass/ Pass with Amendment / Fail

|Floor Action: Standing Vote# ________Yes ________No _______ Passed _________ Failed |

|BACK TO HOUSE OF ORIGIN? |

_______________________ ________________________

Speaker of the House President of the Senate

____________________________________

President of the United States

-----------------------

Veto

Reason:

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