Legislative practices and procedures book pdf

Legislative practices and procedures book pdf

The Standing Orders of the House require that every bill receive three readings, on different days, before being passed. Today, a bill is no longer read aloud, but the formality of holding a reading is still preserved. That scenario is repeated when the House has ordered a second and then a third reading of the bill. A certification of reading must be affixed to every bill immediately after each of the three readings is adopted. The Clerk of the House is responsible for certifying each reading, and entering the date it passed at the foot of the bill. No substantive alteration to the bill is permitted without the express authority of the House or a committee, in the form of an amendment.