NCSL's Policy Procedures and Proposed Amendments to By-Laws and Rules of Procedure

NCSL's Policy Procedures

Below are several documents to help you have a better understanding of the NCSL policy process.

Click here for printer-friendly version of Standing Committee Guidelines (PDF)

Click here for printer-friendly version of Annual Meeting Floor Procedures (PDF)

Click here for printer-friendly version of Voting Sheets (PDF)
 

Standing Committee Guidelines

New Policy Statements and Resolutions

All new policy directives and resolutions must be submitted to the attention of the Washington Office Directors, Neal Osten and Molly Ramsdell (dc-directors@ncsl.org) by 5:00 pm (EST) on Monday, July 9. They will submit the policy directives and resolutions to the co-chairs of the Standing Committees, Senator Curt Bramble of Utah and Assemblywoman Fiona Ma of California, for assignment to the appropriate committee(s) of jurisdiction. 

All policy directives and resolutions to be considered at the 2012 Legislative Summit in Chicago must be posted on NCSL’s web site no later than Monday, July 30, though our intention is to have everything posted by July 20. The list of policy directives and resolutions will be sent to all legislative leaders, NCSL Executive Committee members, and chairs and vice chairs of the NCSL standing committees. Each committee is responsible for making the policy directives and resolutions available to all committee members.  

Voting Members of the Committee

The roster of voting members for each standing committee is the roster on file with NCSL as of August 3, 2012.   The legislators on that roster have been duly appointed by their appropriate presiding officer in their legislative chamber.   Appointments to a committee after August 3 shall be made in writing from the appropriate presiding officer and delivered to Bill Pound, NCSL Executive Director, no later than the start of a committee’s scheduled business meeting. (Please see below.) Committee chairs may want to announce at the beginning of the first committee session that only legislators on the official committee roster (which will include any new appointments made to Bill Pound) will be permitted to vote during the committee’s business meeting. 

Appointments to a committee cannot be accepted once the FIRST business meeting for that committee starts.   For the 2012 Legislative Summit, the scheduled start of the various standing committees is as follows:

Committee Business Meeting

• All committee members to be identified with appropriate table tent name holder, prepared by NCSL staff.
• The presiding legislator co-chair [chair] or one of the legislator vice chairs calls the meeting to order at the scheduled time.
• The presiding legislator co-chair shall establish the presence of a quorum. It is recommended that the chair call the roll of states to determine the presence of a quorum. The quorum for the adoption of policy directives and resolutions in a standing committee shall consist of representation of appointed legislator members from at least 10 states. A quorum call can also be requested by legislator members from 2 states at any time during the committee business meeting.
• A legislator member from a state not present for the most recent quorum call can, before the start of the next roll call vote, request recognition from the presiding legislator co-chair and be recorded as present for purposes of the quorum. 
• Each committee shall review and act on all policy directives or resolutions referred to the committee. A legislator member who is sponsoring a policy directive, resolution or amendment may withdraw such policy directive, resolution or amendment at any time before a vote is called.
• If a committee fails to take up any policy directive or resolution on its agenda before the scheduled time of the committee meeting expires, those policy directives and resolutions would be considered tabled and held over until the next meeting of the committee in Washington, D.C., December 6-8, 2012.
• A summary of action on all policy directives and resolutions must be kept by NCSL staff and such summary shall be delivered by the legislator co-chairs or one of the legislator vice chairs at the appropriate meeting of the Steering Committee.
• The legislator chair or one of the legislator vice chairs acting as presiding officer of the standing committee has the obligation and authority to preserve order and decorum and have charge of the committee meeting room at all times.
• Committee does not need to take any further action to table unfinished business.
• All standing committee business meeting must end by 3:15 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012.

Voting During the Committee Business Meeting

• Only duly appointed legislator members of the committee can vote on matters of public policy.
• All voting in the committee shall be by a voice vote, except when a roll call is requested by at least one legislator from two member states, or is called by the legislator chair.
• During a roll call vote on a question, only states that were recorded as present during the most recent quorum call shall be called on to vote.
• The legislator chair may request any delegation from a state to designate a spokesperson if there are more than two legislators from the state. The spokesperson would cast the vote for the state on any roll call vote.
• The vote by a state shall represent the majority view of all the duly appointed legislator members from the state present and voting. If the legislator members in a state delegation are evenly divided, the state vote would be recorded as present.
• On matters of public policy an affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the states responding to the most recent quorum call shall be required. This means that states that pass, abstain or vote present would be counted. 
• For all amendments to policy directives and resolutions, a simple majority of the states responding to the most recent quorum call shall be required.
• A quorum call can be requested at any time by legislator members from two states prior to the start of a roll call vote.
• At such time that the legislator chair announces the vote on a policy directive or resolution, the vote is final. Motions to reconsider a question can be made by any legislator member of the committee.
• If a policy directive or resolution passes the committee unanimously it will be reported to the Consent Calendar. Policy directives or resolutions adopted at the previous Fall or Spring Forum shall also be considered on the Consent Calendar. Any policy statement or resolution receiving at least one no vote shall be reported to the Debate Calendar. 

Post Committee Meeting Responsibilities

The legislator chair or a designated legislator vice chair shall make a report to the Steering Committee on Tuesday, August 7 at 4:45 pm on the disposition of all the policy directives and resolutions that were on the committee’s agenda. 

The legislator chair or a designated legislator vice chair is responsible for making an introductory statement and moving the committee’s policy directives and resolutions that appear on the Debate Calendar on the floor of the NCSL Annual Business Meeting on Thursday, August 9, 2012. The Business Meeting will take place 10:30 am – 12:15 pm.

Annual Meeting Floor Procedures

Before the call of the roll of the states to establish a quorum, each delegation is to select a spokesperson to respond to the call of the roll as well as to any roll call votes. When the state is called, the legislator responding to the call must also announce his or her name as the delegation’s spokesperson.  

Only states responding to the most recent quorum call will be called during a roll call vote. Please refer to the wall screens during the business meeting to see if your state has been recorded for purposes of the quorum. If your state is not recorded as present for the quorum, you may seek recognition from the presiding legislator chair and asked to be included in the quorum. This request must be made prior to the start of a roll call vote. 

All legislators and legislative staff are entitled to vote on the election of officers and members of the executive committee, amendments to NCSL’s By-Laws and Rules and matters pertaining to the NCSL budget. Only legislators are entitled to vote on matters of public policy. 

Policy Consideration Order of Business:

1.       Consent Calendar from the Fall Forum

2.       Consent Calendar From Legislative Summit

3.       Debate Calendar

4.       Memorial Calendar (when needed)

Policy directives can be removed from the Consent Calendars and placed on the Debate Calendar at the request of 3 member jurisdictions for further consideration. 

Only policy directives or resolutions on the Debate Calendar can be amended. It is preferred that amendments be in writing and submitted to the Chair. To ensure the transparency of the policy process, it is preferred that amendments be filed by 5:00 p.m. on the day preceding (Wednesday, August 8) the business meeting. 

To speak to a policy directives or resolution during its consideration, members must go to one of the floor microphones to be recognized by the Chair. 

Voting will be by voice vote. If the Chair is unable to determine the prevailing side, the Chair can order a roll call of the states. A roll call can also be requested by at least five member jurisdictions.  

On roll call votes, only the spokesperson for the delegation will be called upon to cast the delegation’s vote. 

On amendments to policy directives and resolutions, a simple majority of the established quorum is required. Passes or abstentions by a jurisdiction are counted towards the total vote. 

Passage of policy directives and resolutions requires a favorable vote from three-fourths of the member jurisdictions having responded to the most recent quorum. Passes or abstentions by a jurisdiction are counted towards the total vote.

Voting Sheets 

Other Links

NCSL Rules of Procedure

NCSL By-Laws 

For more information contact dc-directors@ncsl.org