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Senate Floor Rules
Topic Started: Jun 20 2010, 11:54 AM (158 Views)
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RULE I. OPENING.

Paragraph 1 (Session): The United States Senate shall meet in sessions, each lasting two years, and each starting upon the 3rd of January of each odd-numbered year. The President shall open each session of the Senate.

Paragraph 2 (President of The Senate Election): A President of the Senate shall be elected at the start of each session of the Senate. The President of the Senate will remain in his/her position until his/her death, resignation, removal, incapacitation, or the end of the session in which s/he was elected. 48 hours shall be given for nominations of members of the Senate to be the President of the Senate. All nominations must be made and seconded; no self nominations nor self seconds shall be accepted. All nominations must be accepted by the person being nominated.

Paragraph 3 (Seating): Each caucus shall at the start of a session, have the opportunity to position itself and shall choose according to size, smallest caucus choosing first, but each larger caucus being able to reposition a previous one according to their own seating needs. The positioning shall not be absolute, but relative to caucus sizes so no caucus shall be seated in a splitted way.

RULE II. DEBATE.

Paragraph 1 (Speaking): When a Senator desires to speak, she or he shall address the Presiding Officer. When finished speaking, she or he shall verbally yield the floor.

Paragraph 2 (Addressing): When a Senator speaks in a debate, she or he shall address the Presiding Officer, but shall not address any other member directly.

Paragraph 3 (Respect): When a Senator speaks in a debate, she or he shall remain respectful, shall refrain from insulting (directly or indirectly) any other Senator or State, and shall refrain from making any offensive or unkind statements.

Paragraph 4 (Time): Debate shall last as long as the majority deems it necessary. After the first 48 hours of debate, the President of the Senate shall start a vote on cloture. The vote passes when a majority amongst those voting is reached. If there is not debate shall continue for another 48 hours, followed by another vote on cloture to begin.

RULE III. VOTING.

Paragraph 1 (Votes): A Senator shall have the ability to cost a vote of support, vote of opposition, or vote of neutrality on any Motion, Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution.

Paragraph 2 (Counting): When counting votes, the President or Chairperson shall ignore any votes of neutrality, paying attention only to votes of support and votes of opposition.

Paragraph 3 (Time): The President and Chairmen shall have the authority to place a limit on the time for voting on an Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution. The time for voting on a motion or other procedural action shall be 24 hours. The time for voting on an Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution in committees shall be between 24 and 48 hours. The time for voting on an Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution in the Senate shall be between 48 and 72 hours.

Paragraph 4 (Refusal): A Senator shall be permitted to refuse to vote on any matter.

Paragraph 5 (Passage): Any Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution shall pass if more Senators vote in support for that Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution than vote in opposition of that Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution. Any Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution shall not pass if more Senators vote in opposition of that Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution than vote in support for that Act, Resolution, or Joint Resolution.

Paragraph 6 (Quiet): No Senator shall speak during a vote except to cast his/her vote.

RULE IV. FILIBUSTER.

Paragraph 1 (Definition): A filibuster shall be defined as an instance in which a Senator purposefully refuses to yield the floor to prevent Senate operations.

Paragraph 2 (Effect): While a filibuster is in effect, no business shall take place on the senate floor, except for that relating to the filibuster, a motion to cloture the bill, or a motion to suspend the rules.

Paragraph 3 (Duration): A filibuster shall continue until the passage of a motion to suspend the rules, a motion to close debate, or the yielding of the floor by the senator in question.

Paragraph 4 (Maintenance): A Senator must speak once every eight hours for the first day of his/her filibuster, once every six hours for the second day of his or her filibuster, once every four hours for the third day of his/her filibuster and from then forward. If a Senator fails to speak as regularly as required by this Paragraph, she or he shall automatically yield the floor. A Senator may retake the floor after yielding it this way assuming debate is continuing.

Paragraph 5 (Friendly Yielding): A Senator may yield to another Senator without ending the filibuster. The maintenance schedule prescribed in Paragraph 4 of this Rule shall be reset each time the floor is yielded to another Senator.

Paragraph 6 (Committees): A filibuster may occur in a committee, however, it will only affect that committee. The person filibustering may not take part in any other Senate activity for the duration of the filibuster.

RULE V. MAIN MOTIONS. These motions are listed in order of precedence; one higher on the list may be introduced while one lower on the list has already been introduced.

Paragraph 1 (Close Meeting): To make this motion, a Senator says “I move to adjourn.” This motion does not interrupt debate, is not debatable or amendable, requires a second, and must pass by majority of those voting. If this motion passes, the session of the Senate shall end.

Paragraph 2 (Close Debate): To make this motion, a Senator says “I move the previous question.” This motion does not interrupt debate, is not debatable or amendable, requires a second, and must pass by a majority of those voting. If this motion passes, debate upon question at hand shall cease, and the voting upon the question at hand shall begin.

Paragraph 3 (Limit or Extend Debate): To make this motion, a Senator says “I move that debate be limited/extended to…” This motion does not interrupt debate, is not debatable but is amendable, requires a second, and must pass by 2/3 majority of those voting. If this motion passes, debate upon the question at hand shall be limited or extended, respectively, by the amount of time requested.

Paragraph 4 (Modify Wording): To make this motion, a Senator says “I move to amend by…” This motion does not interrupt debate, is debatable and amendable, requires a second, and must pass by majority of those voting. This motion may be introduced to amend the rules of the Senate, except when amending the rules, must pass by a majority of those voting.

RULE VI. INCIDENTAL MOTIONS. These motions do not take precedence over each other but are taken precedence over by main motions.

Paragraph 1 (Enforce Rules): To make this motion, a Senator says “Point of order.” This motion does interrupt debate, is not debatable or amendable, does not require a second, and does not go to a vote.

Paragraph 2 (Submit Matter to Assembly): To make this motion, a Senator says “I appeal from the decision of the Chair.” This motion does interrupt debate, is debatable but not amendable, requires a second, and must pass by majority of those voting. If this motion passes, the decision appealed shall be overturned.

Paragraph 3 (Suspend Rules): To make this motion, a Senator says “I move to suspend the rules.” This motion does not interrupt debate, is not debatable or amendable, requires a second, and must pass by 2/3 majority of those voting. If this motion passes, the rules shall be suspended, such to allow whatever action specified by the Senator that motioned to suspend the rules at the time of the motion to suspend the rules.

Paragraph 4 (Avoid Motion): To make this motion, a Senator says “I object to consideration of the question.” This motion does interrupt debate, is not debatable or amendable, does not require a second, and must pass by 2/3 majority of those voting. If this motion passes, the question shall not be considered.

Paragraph 5 (Divide Question): To make this motion, a Senator says “I move to divide the question.” This motion does not interrupt debate, is not debatable but is amendable, requires a second, and must pass by majority of those voting. If this motion passes, the question shall be divided, as suggested at the time of motioning by the Senator that motioned to divide the question.

Paragraph 6 (Parliamentary Inquiry): To make this motion, a Senator says “Parliamentary Inquiry.” This motion does interrupt debate, is not debatable or amendable, does not require a second, and does not go to a vote.

RULE VII. GOVERNMENT, TREATIES AND OTHER PROCEEDINGS.

Paragraph 1 (Confidence): The Senate shall move for a vote of confidence in the Government or a particular Government official upon request of the President, First Secretary or when motioned by one and seconded by two senators. If a vote of confidence, motioned by senators themselves succeeds, a new one can not be entertained for the following six months, unless upon request of the President or the First Secretary. The Presiding Officer can not refuse any such request, which shall take precedence over any other senate business.

Paragraph 2 (Treaties): A treaty shall be considered in the same manner as an act, though 2/3 of voting senators must support a treaty for it to pass, and a treaty shall be considered directly by the Senate at large, and not by any committee.

Paragraph 3 (Constitutional Amendments): An amendment shall be considered in the same manner as an act, though 2/3 of the voting senators must support a Constitutional Amendment for it to pass.

Paragraph 4 (Removal Proceedings): The Senate shall have the power to remove or acquit a President of the United States, or any secretary. WHen such a matter is entertained, United States Senate shall cease debate or voting upon any matter, and convene to decide whether to acquit or remove the individual. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall serve as President of the Senate during a period in which the Senate is determining whether to acquit or remove the individual.

Paragraph 5. Nothing in this rule shall be construed as to apply to nominations that are not nominations submitted by the President of the United States or on his behalf.

RULE VIII. CLOSED SESSION.

At any time when the President of the United States speaks before the Senate (unless he specifically requests otherwise) or at any time when a majority of the members of the Senate or a Committee request it, the Senate or that Committee shall meet in closed session. The happenings during such a meeting shall be classified and only authorized personnel shall be allowed into that meeting. At all other times, the Senate and each and every Committee shall meet in open session.

Rule IX. ENFORCEMENT.

Any Presiding Officer may call a member of the Senate to order for violations of these rules. The President of the Senate may suspend a member from the Senate for up to 3 days ((OOC: OOC days, not IC) for repeated violations of the rules, provided the Senator has been called to order twice in a twenty-four hour period or five times in a seventy-two hour period.

Rule X. CONTEMPT.

Paragraph 1: Any Senator may propose a resolution to find a person in Contempt of Congress who "willfully makes default, or who, having appeared, refuses to answer any question pertinent to the question under inquiry". This resolution may be submitted in the Senate Hopper, if it concerns the Senate as a whole, and shall go directly to the Senate Floor. If the matter of Contempt in question concerns a Committee, it shall be submitted directly to that Committee, and upon passing Committee, shall go to the Senate Floor. In all other ways, the resolution.


*TAR credited, MAIA RULEZ with changes
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